


Little Fire

by orphan_account



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, percy jackson - Fandom
Genre: Coming Out, Crush, Cuddling, Cute, Drama, Festus - Freeform, First Dates, Fluff, Jealous, Jealous Jason, Jealousy, Kissing, Love, M/M, Mwahaha, Romance, Rome - Freeform, Ship, Yaoi, atë, awkward moments, beach, bromace, firefly - Freeform, guytoguytalks, jeo, just a guy that has to much time on his hands..., leason, lol, relationship, that snaz, valgrace
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-23
Updated: 2015-05-23
Packaged: 2018-03-31 19:47:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 26,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3990517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leo's death makes Jason realize just how much the demigod meant to him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, the basic plot of this story is Leo x Jason bromance. Don't like, don't read. Do like, well.. Then you're cool. 
> 
>  
> 
> This also takes place after the war- so if you  
> haven't read all the books there could be some (small?)spoilers. Ha, enjoy. :)

Jason buried his head into his pillow, choking back a scream of frustration. 

Moonlight flooded through the son of Zeus's cabin. He was alone. Alone and struggling desperately to hold in sobs of grief. Jason was never the emotional type- it wasn't very roman. It was either staying at Camp HalfBlood was rubbing off onto him, or Leo had really worked his way into Jason's heart.

"He can't be gone. Not after all we've been through," Jason panicked under his breath. He remembered how much effort it took for him to keep a somewhat straight face earlier when he knew Leo had died. 

_"Jason?" He didn't catch the notable look of concern and worry in Piper's face. "It's okay to cry." She took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze. Her fingers felt so wrong in his._

_Jason had thought one day he could tell Leo just how much he meant to him- maybe he would have broken up with Piper. Maybe Leo would have felt the same way. But it was too late. He was dead._

_A tear rolled down Jason's face, collecting at his increasingly pointed jawline and dropping down into the pavement of Camp Half-Blood. Jason wasn't used to crying. He certainly didn't want to cry in front of his girlfriend. "Piper," he said as he let go of her hand. "We need to talk."_

Now Jason was both alone and girlfriend-less. That didn't bother him. _As long as the seconds spent with Piper didn't make him long desperately for his best friend_. 

Each kiss shared with Piper, Jason hoped would someday be replaced by Leo's. Each "I love you," whispered in his ear, each laugh, each moment of silence, each tear shed, instead of Piper, with Leo. 

And Jason felt guilty. He turned around, face up, and forced the stray feelings to the back of his mind. "Leo." Blue eyes stared up into the stormy patterned ceiling sleepily. He had said the boy's name as if he was calling out to him- faintly and desperately.

"I miss you."

 

* * *

 

 

"Jason!" A familiar voice rang through the nearly empty cabin. Jason never would have wanted his alarm clock in _Percy Mode_. That was the worst. 

"Mom?" Jason squinted to see Percy in his Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. He groaned when he realized how stupid he sounded. 

"Am I that pretty?" Percy chuckled and tapped him with his toe. "You've been sleeping in for too long. I think you should get up soon." 

Jason sighed, turning away from the son of Poseidon. He'd spent all night fretting over Leo's death, and he wasn't in the mood to wake up. The memory of the explosion ran through Jason's mind- how shocked he had been, how scared he was to know his best friend had died, then and there.

He had died and there was nothing Jason could do to stop it. It had been one or two days since the catastrophe, and he had been hurt the most out of the eight demigods. Jason had taken the most of the damage since Leo's death, and he wasn't mentally ready to get up and do... Well, anything.

"Jason," Percy called when he began to drift off, back into his well-needed sleep.

After a short silence... "Fine, I'm getting up." It took a little too much energy to sit up in his bed. Percy looked down at him with concern. 

When the two had first met, Jason didn't know what to think of the guy. They were heroes of different camps- admired by the demigods that followed their lead. 

Percy even annoyed him at first, but the two had grown fond of eachother as suitable friends. Jason saw why people respected him, and in turn did the same.

"Are you okay, man? You look, like.. Bad." Percy pursed his lips. Jason shrugged slightly and rest his head into his hands. "Is something eating at you?" 

Jason was tempted to laugh it off. It would have been too easy, dismissing his pain and heading to breakfast as he did everyday. _It could be so easy_.

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Jason's mind never seemed to wander off of Leo- his wide auburn eyes, dark and flawless skin, that unique impish smile.

He loved everything about him. How he laughed at inappropriate times, how he was so awkward, how he was witty and talented. _Stop_ , Jason scowled himself. 

"It's nothing," Jason said at last. His eyes fixated towards the floor. He wasn't as good of a liar as Piper or Leo was, and he suddenly wished he was. 

Percy raised a brow. "Come on, man. You can tell me what's bothering you. I won't judge, no matter what." Jason felt truth in the teen's words, somehow. 

"Percy," Jason said hesitantly. He decided against hiding his feelings. Maybe telling Percy _would_ help him feel better.

His friend tilted his head a little, as if waiting for him to continue. "Yeah?" 

"I don't want to do this, but I suppose I need to tell someone to let it out of my system." Jason didn't want Percy to know. He wanted to hide away, continue feeling guilty for the feelings he had for Leo. But his mouth continued to act on its own. "Can I trust you?"

Percy nodded, a bit perplexed. "Yeah, of course." He sat down next to his friend, who was now leaning back into his bed.

Jason sighed. "This is kind of a huge secret by the way, so you should feel special, fish sticks," he added before stopping to collect his thoughts. He glanced over to Percy- curiosity in his green eyes. _Well, knowing Percy, I think it's a bit too late to back out now,_ Jason thought. "I guess I've been thinking about it for a while and need to get it off my chest.

"Well," Percy said. "I guess that's what friends are for. Telling eachother secrets, laughing like idiots, stuff like that." He gave a lopsided grin. 

Jason's heart stopped in sudden grief. His thoughts sidetracked to all the time he had spent with Leo, telling eachother secrets, laughing like idiots, and well.. _Stuff like that_. He felt his eyes begin to burn, at the verge of tears. "Right." 

Silence filled the room. Jason didn't know why he would tell Percy the secret he had kept so hidden for the longest time. 

"Do you have a crush?" Percy blurted, as if reading his mind. 

Jason looked at Percy with surprise. 

"Oh.. Well, that probably isn't it. And also what happened with Piper.." His voice trailed off. 

"Actually," Jason said. He didn't want to have a crush. He didn't want to love, after he had just broken Piper's heart. "I think you're right."

He averted his gaze and stared at his feet with pursed lips. He was right. Jason truly didn't want to have feelings for Leo, especially when he had an amazing girlfriend before. He gave it all up for grief over his best friend. His extraordinarily attractive best friend, by the way. Not that that mattered.

"Wait, I am?" 

Jason chuckled softly. "Yeah." 

Comfortable silence. Percy smirked a bit before asking, "Do I know them?" 

You _knew_ them, Jason thought will sorrow. He choked back the memories of the boy, both the good and the bad. They taunted him at all the wrong times. "You could say that." 

"Oh, then let me guess!" He tapped his toe a bit, before glancing over with a threatful stare. "It isn't Annabeth, is it?" 

"What? No! Of course not," Jason said quickly. Percy's expression softened. He then looked up at the ceiling as if admiring it. 

"I'm pretty sure it isn't Hazel," he said halfway to himself. "Ah, Reyna?" 

Jason shook his head. Percy looked a bit surprised, but continued to think. "Rachel?" 

"No way." 

"Sabrina?" 

"I don't even know who that is," Jason laughed.

Percy frowned. " _Clariesse_?" _  
_

"Ugh, no!" 

He continued to ponder to himself. Jason almost felt like laughing.

"I give up," Percy said wearily. "I have no clue." 

Jason smiled to himself sadly. If only any of them could begin to compare to _him_. "Percy," he sighed, running a hand through his short (and extremely messy at that moment) hair. "It's Leo." The words hung in the air for what seemed like an eternity.

His heart seemed to drop to his stomach. After all the pain of hoping for something that would never happen between them could bloom, after all the smiles Leo had brought him, after all of the guilty tears shed for his death, his secret was out. 

"Wait.. Leo. As in.. Our Leo?" Percy's eyes widened with interest as he looked at Jason thoughtfully. It made him uncomfortable. 

"..Yeah. Leo Valdez." His voice cracked and he turned his head away from his friend. Neither of the boys said a word after that, as if they were in deep thought. 

"Jason... I'm sorry," he said with sympathy. Maybe he knew how much pain Jason had felt after Leo's death. "I know I really can't relate.. But I guess I know a bit of what you're feeling right now." His voice trailed. "Annabeth.. When I lost my memory, something in the back of my mind told me I would never see her again." 

He paused, taking in a slow breath. 

"I was scared. But.." Percy set a hand on Jason's shoulder. "I don't think anyone should have to deal with their crush dying like that. That's worse then.. Well, anything that had to do with what I felt." 

Jason struggled to keep tears from his eyes. Gods, he missed Leo. More than anything. "Thanks, Percy." 

Percy smiled. "Isn't that what friends are there for? _Stuff like that_." Jason laughed. 

"Yeah." 

Percy's smile turned downwards at the ends, full of shared sadness. "I didn't know him as well as you did," he said, "But Leo really was a good guy." 

Jason smiled too, remembering the times they had spent together. Leo's stylish but silly outfit Aphrodite has dressed him in, the time he was at his side as he cried for Festus, playing video games together on the Argo II. "He was, wasn't he?" 

"Now I miss the jokes that he made that I thought were rude.. I guess I took it all for granted." He looked to Jason, nudging him. "And by the way, Leo really did have a soft spot for you." 

Jason's eyes widened, then his hopes were crushed by his negative thoughts. Of course Leo would only like him as a best friend, nothing more.

Percy got up from Jason's bed, making his way near the door of the cabin. Jason missed having someone to talk to, so he was almost relieved to "vent" to Percy, although he felt a bit embarrassed. 

"Oh, and Jason?" He looked up to his friend with the goofy smirk. "How long?" 

Jason furrowed his eyebrows, confused. "How long, what?" 

"How long have you liked him?" 

Jason sighed. After he witnessed Leo's death, he couldn't seem to cheer up completely. 

"...Long enough." 

Understanding gleamed in his eye's and he left Jason alone in his cabin. _Long enough for it to hurt_.

Jason sat on his bed in darkness, despite the sun gleaming through the open window. Not long after Percy had left, he heard a soft knock on the door. 

"Jason?" He recognized Nico's voice outside. "I have some news that you might like." Jason wondered if Nico had felt the same way for Percy as he did for Leo. Maybe he knew he had no chance, but couldn't seem to keep his mind off of the son of Poseiden. 

 _Like he felt for Leo_.

As much as Jason didn't want to get up, he walled to the door glumly. 

"Yeah?" He asked with little interest as he opened the door. Nico was wearing his typical aviator jacket, and black from head to toe. Jason always wondered what was so bad about wearing a regular Camp Halfblood t-shirt, but then again, he never understood anything about the guy. His cold eyes met Jason's.

"Leo may still be alive."


	2. Chapter 2

Jason wondered if he had heard Nico correctly. 

Leo was dead. The son of Hades even confirmed it. And the dead never came back. _Except for some_ , Jason recalled Hazel. This gave him hope. 

"What do you mean?" Jason's heart fluttered at the thought of Leo returning at his side, with a goofy smile as if nothing ever happened. 

Maybe he had been mistaken. Nico tended to mumble at times. 

Nico sighed. "Exactly what I said. Earlier I felt his presence return." He messed with a strand of his black hair thoughtfully. "It's like he never died in the first place." 

"And why didn't you tell me this sooner?" he asked, a bit frustrated. 

"I was too tired," Nico replied bluntly. The son of Jupiter felt like face palming. 

Jason stared at the ground. It almost seemed too good to be true. There had to be a catch. "So.. He might return to Camp Half-Blood?" 

"I'd assume so." 

Jason couldn't help it- he grinned from ear to ear. He felt like a little kid who's parents just told him he was going to Chucky Cheese's. Well, Jason had never been there (and never planned on going), but he heard mortal children enjoyed the place. "That's awesome!" 

Nico laughed softly, as unusual as it was. Jason was glad that he was one of the only people he could open up to. "I can tell how much he means to you." 

The blonde blushed in the slightest- _since when was it so easy for him to blush_?- and turned his head. "Well yeah, he's-" 

A startling thunderous crashing noise boomed throughout the camp, and both boys turned their heads quickly to see a giant wisp of black smoke building up into the sky. 

"You think that might be..?" 

Nico nodded, wide eyed. His thin lips twitched with suspicion. "That was quick." 

Jason raced over to the crash across the camp, along with many other demigods who were curious.

Each step on the pavement felt like an eternity. Conflicted thoughts ran through his head rapidly. _Is that Leo...? Of course it is! But... how?_  

As he approached, his heart stopped when he spotted Festus. Half of his giant metal body was jammed into the beach floor, along with a cloud of obsidian smoke. 

And when there was Festus, there was.. 

"Leo!" Jason recognized Piper's voice, and he winced. He still hasn't given an explanation as to why he broke up with her, and he didn't want to quite yet. 

The girl ran into the smoke, and Jason held his breath. He didn't want to make a whole scene about how much he missed him- but he was so excited! Leo was here. He was back, alive as day, at his side again. He forced back a scream of relief. 

Piper came out, tugging a soot covered teenage latino. The boy plopped into the sandy beach, visibly exhausted. Jason's heart did a backflip.

"Miss me?" Leo Valdez said warily with a cough. 

He couldn't help himself. Jason ran up to him, pulled him up from the ground and gave him the biggest bear hug he could muster. He loved hugging Leo. But at that moment in time, saying he was angry was an understatement.

He felt tears threatening to well in his eyes."You scared the hell out of me!"

Dispite how angry he was, he continued to squeeze the guy with the biggest hug known to mankind. Through that clutch, Jason let out all of the grief he had felt when Leo had died. A weight lifted off his shoulders, at last.

Leo wrigled a bit. "Can't breath," he managed.

The two broke apart, grinning. "Sorry man." Piper, Annabeth and Percy crowded the boy as well. 

"I thought I might stop to fix everything up first, but apparently _that_ plan went off course," he said wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. "'Got here way sooner than expected."

"What _happened_?" Annabeth had tried asking, but Leo gestured _I'll tell you later_. "Leo, you scared us all to death," she then said a bit threateningly. Annabeth was visibly shocked- she even shook her head several times as if she were hallucinating.

Percy had given a high five to Leo as if saying "Nice job, man! You can back from the dead- I know I can always rely on you!" 

"Next time you do that, Valdez..." Piper said angrily. She hugged him tightly, tears falling from her kaleidoscope eyes.  

When she let go, the four of them hurriedly jabbered about how much they missed him, and he smiled goofily. "Am I _that_  loveable?" 

 _You wouldn't know_ , Jason though with a weary grin. Leo was back. Jason really couldn't have been more happy. As the others crowded him, he couldn't help but stare. He was even tempted to poke at Leo, just to make sure he was even real. 

He looked real. His curly brown locks were sticky with some strange substance, and his face was blackened, which wasn't unusual. Nothing had seemed to change.

"Next time can we land a bit smoother, mechanic guy?" a voice sounded nearby. A girl, about Jason's age, made her way out of the smoke. Her cinnamon colored hair was tied back out of her blackened face. She looked halfway annoyed, but incredibly grateful to land. She was beautiful, but Jason knew she wasn't his type. 

He immediately disliked her. 

"Oh yeah," Leo said gesturing to the girl. "This is Calypso! She kinda my, uh, girlfriend here so try not to give her too much wear and tear." 

Piper's eyes widened. "This is the girl you were talking about?" Leo blushed immensely, messing nervously with something in his pocket.

"Um... You know..."

Jason could tell Annabeth fought off the urge to ask questions like "The real Calypso?"  and "Is it true that.." Blah, blah. 

Percy watched the scene with interest, occasionally glancing Jason's way curiously, as if he expected him to throw a fit of jealousy.

"Leo," Jason said, smiling. Simply doing that had seemed forced. "We'll welcome her warmly at Camp Half-Blood. Don't worry." Leo's face relaxed, and he smiled. Breathtakingly, Jason admired, but averted his thoughts. He was a Greek warrior now, not a drama-seeking school kid. 

"I'd hope so. And by the way, I kind of want to skip out on the 'the whole camp bombarding me with questions' part," he said when he spotted the crowd gathered around the scene. Many demigods had stopped their training, and tried catching Leo's attention. He did his best to ignore them.

Leo clamped a dirty hand on Jason's shoulder and lightheartedly gave it a squeeze. "I missed you, man." The words meant a lot to Jason. Before he made his way to the Hephestus's cabin, he whispered teasily, "And you should probably get dressed next time you greet your best friend from the dead." 

Jason laughed. He watched Leo and Calypso walk off, hand in hand. All of it happened so quickly- and as Leo walked away, Jason immediately fought the urge to follow, maybe even step in between them. He couldn't lose him again. 

He supposed it was his protective instincts. He suddenly wanted to cradle Leo in his own protective bubble (Jason's arms), and never let him leave.

 _And what's so special about that girl anyway_ , Jason thought desperately. He turned to make his way to his cabin. As he walked past the mess, he caught a glimpse of Annabeth. 

Her eyes were full of understanding. 

Jason looked away quickly, and sped off. _Had Percy told her_? He shook his head slightly. _Percy's dumb, but well.. Not that dumb_. 

He pushed all his jealousy and feelings away. He wanted Leo to be happy, and that could never happen if he knew that being with Calypso hurt Jason. 

Jason arrived in his cabin and fell into his bed. _And some feelings are worth hiding_.


	3. Chapter 3

Jason stared up into the ceiling. The day's classes hadn't seemed to interest him, as they usually did. He couldn't take his mind off of Leo ever since what had happened. He had almost broken his skull open, in fact. He supposed thinking about Leo was dangerous during sword fighting.

\- "You are not winning this one, Grace," Percy said challengingly. His sea green eyes gleamed. He raised riptide, his fighting stance readyed to perfection.

Jason smirked. "Whatever you say, Little Mermaid." A group had gathered around the two- a little larger than Jason would have preferred, but he was used to it.

Jason had genuinely wondered if he was crazy. Not many have challenged Percy, "the master of sword fighting" to a duel. He was either insane or really brave.

Swords smacked against each other. Jason had heard the son of Poseidon was amazing at sword fighting, but not... _Amazing_ , amazing. He admired that. 

The two dodged every attack that came their way. Not a scratch of damage was inflicted, even after nearly five minutes into the fight. Jason was surprised he was keeping up. Everyone at camp viewed him as "perfect Jason Grace, son of Jupiter." If only they knew.

Jason's mind suddenly wandered. The two blocked each other's hits with ease, so nothing super interesting happened. 

 _I wonder what Leo's up to_ , Jason thought. _I wish I could get the chance to talk to him_. He was most likely being mobbed by the other campers- after all, it was inevitable. Most of the demigods were shocked after Leo's return and needed answers to quinch their curiosity.

After the crash landing at the beach, Jason had been meaning to talk with him and at least catch up to date. _It's not everyday that my best friend comes back from the dead and crashes a metal dragon onto the beach with an immortal chick,_ he thought gloomily. 

Jason's thoughts suddenly flicked back to the present at that time. The hilt of Riptide came down with visible force, nearly slamming into Jason's head. He dodged just in time, wincing at how that could have ended. 

"We can't doze off now, Superman," Percy had teased. 

The fight had continued for nearly half an  hour, and many of the spectators had left with disinterest. Jason couldn't blame them. 

Percy had thrown in some new moves here and there, but Jason evaded them. They were both out of breath.

From time to time Jason had even tried the "Hey, what's that over there?!" classic, and even when Percy fell for it (he did nearly every time, which Jason found to be hilarious) he blocked Jason's next attack. Now that was just sad.

Piper, stepping out from the very small audience, had soon declared it a tie. Frankly, she was probably too sick of seeing the two desperately trying to win, failing in the process.

Now it was night. After a long day's training and studying, he still didn't get the chance to talk to his... Friend. And they kinda of had a _lot_ to catch up on. 

"Jason?" A hushed voice interrupted his thoughts. 

Speak of the devil. He peered over to see a head peeking into to his cabin. Jason smiled, inviting Leo in. "Who ever would have guessed Leo Valdez would be breaking the rules?" 

Leo chuckled quietly. The soft padding of feet sounded closer, and Leo sat himself at Jason's side. "You know me too well." 

Jason gazed at his friend. Leo had cleaned up since returning, and his dark brown eyes glowed in the moonlight of the room. He was in dark red boxer shorts and wore a shirt labeled: 'Random shirt with funny slogan- _done_!' His heart did a backflip at how incredible Leo looked wearing simple clothing like that. Well, of course in a platonical way. 

"Where's Calypso?" 

Leo smiled a bit distantly. "Chiron assigned her to Hermes's cabin for now. I kinda feel sorry for her in there, but it's not like she has anywhere else to go." He frowned. "She said that she might not be staying at Camp HalfBlood."

Jason frowned as well, twisting a stray strand of short blonde hair. "Did she imply she wanted you to go with her?" 

Leo shrugged, sighing softly. He looked out the window of the cabin, into the forest. "I don't know." He seemed to be thinking about something. He _did_ have a lot to think about after beating death, so Jason couldn't blame him."Probably. I know she wanted me to travel and stuff with her." 

Jason thought of the possible future for Leo and her. Together, away from his interference. Maybe even with kids. He suddenly felt knots growing in his stomach, so he brushed away the idea. "Don't you want that?" 

Another sulky shrug. "Well, yeah." Leo's eyes never met Jason's. "Just, now thinking about all of it.. I dont know if that's best for me." 

Jason's brows furrowed with confusion. "But aren't you guys uh.. Dating now?" he asked a bit awkwardly. 

"Yeah. Well, I'm pretty sure we are." Leo tensed and changed the subject. "Did you miss me?" he asked lightheartedly. 

Jason never seemed to figure his friend out. He smiled at Leo's mischievous smirk. "Of course. We needed our repair boy more than ever. You know, sometimes the toilets overflow, and that kind of stuff." _Calypso should make him happy_ , he thought. _It's what he deserves_.

Leo laughed softly. Silence followed, and he seemed to be staring off into space. 

"But what happened?" Jason asked hesitantly. "You kinda... Well.. _You died."_

Leo smiled sadly. " _Not_ the most pleasant feeling." He began fumbling with the hem of his shirt. "It's always useful having a living metal dragon," he replied, finally. "Remember that liquid we got that brings back people from the dead?" He smiled. "I'm just glad Piper charmspoke Festus to becoming.. Uh, less dependent I guess." 

"Wait, so the _dragon_ healed you?" Jason shook his head in amazement. 

Leo nodded casually.  "Pretty cool, right?" 

"More like _weird_. But still, pretty cool." They both laughed quietly. Jason wanted to tell his friend how much he missed him, how many tears were shed for him (actually, not that part), how many hours spent wishing he could return to his side. 

 _How many times he wanted to take Leo into his arms and never let go_. 

The way his brown eyes twinkled in the light made his heart race. Loose dark curls fell into his face, brushing past caramel brown skin. 

"You're staring again," Leo chuckled. Jason's eyes widened and he quickly looked away. 

"Um, sorry." He felt heat rise to his cheeks. "And um.." Jason couldn't look into Leo's eyes now. "Wait.. What do you mean, _again_?" 

Leo laughed softly. "You do that sometimes." 

 _Oh gods_. Jason hadn't felt this flustered in a while. "Well that's embarrassing," he muttered to himself. 

"Don't be embarrassed. It's fine," Leo assured, smiling. He began tapping his bare feet on the floor. Jason thought it was probably morse code.

Was it just him, or did Leo seem less annoying than before he died? Jason always thought that was... cute, but after what had happened.. He seemed different- more distant.

"What happened with Piper?" 

Jason turned his head guiltily. Truthfully, he didn't want to talk about her.. "Well, it's kinda over with us.." 

Leo stared ahead. "Well, I could see that by the looks she was giving you earlier. How did you end it?"

He remembered the hurt on Piper's face when.. 

" _What's wrong?" she had asked with concern. Her beautiful face was contoured with worry. He_ should _have found her to be beautiful, anyhow. He used to._

_Jason stared out into the evening sunset. It glowed a bright red, as if taunting him. "Leo was the color red to you," the sky would've said. "He was passion. He was love. He was happiness." He wiped the tear from his cheek, embarressed. "He was a fire that burned too bright. All fires die sooner or later, Jason Grace."_

_"Piper," Jason said. He couldn't stand wanting to replace a perfectly beautiful girlfriend with Leo. It wasn't fair for her. She stared expectantly at Jason, but softly and soothingly. "We need to break up."_

Jason shrugged gloomily. "I don't know. After you left.." His voice cracked. "Well, I just didn't want the relationship to continue." 

A breeze passed through the room, and Jason pulled a blanket over his legs. "I really don't know what happened." He sighed. "But.. Yeah, it's over with us." 

Leo's gaze made him uncomfortable. He seemed to be staring right through Jason, into his deepest secrets. "I'm sorry, man." 

Jason smiled a bit sadly, but shook his head with regret. "I should probably apologize to her for being so blunt. I never really explained myself. It all happened so quickly.." Jason sighed. "I suppose it was for the best." 

They sat in silence. Jason could feel the usual warmth radiating from his friend at his side. It was almost comforting. He resisted the urge to curl up next to him and bring him into a hug. 

"I guess so," Leo said. He turned to his friend. "I should get to bed." 

Jason nodded absently. "Just don't get caught by anyone. You know how strict Chiron can be," he reminded, and Leo nodded. "Goodnight repair boy." 

He watched as Leo got up to leave the cabin. Jason didn't want him to go already. He resisted the urge to invite him back in for longer.

Leo grinned goofily as he left, making his heart race. "Love ya' Superman." 


	4. Chapter 4

"Did you ever get lonely on the island?" Piper asked Calypso. She rested her head up on her hands and waited expectingly each time she asked a question.

"Well, yeah-" 

"And were the guys that came to it cute?" she joked, knowing fully that Jason was listening. 

"Um.." Calypso blushed a bit. Leo glanced over and his cheeks flushed as well. 

Jason took a stick near him and dug it into the sandy beach. His lips pursed with hidden frustration. Piper would not stop with the questions, and Calypso kept throwing in flirts to his best friend. 

Percy was doing his trademark cool underwater stuff with Annabeth. Jason almost felt jealous of their relationship- he wished it didn't have to be so complicated with Leo. 

 _Well, you had a perfectly good girlfriend so suck it up, Grace_ , Jason thought angrily.

"Hey, Superman." Jason felt Leo sit down at his side. The boy didn't want to swim- which Jason found a bit unfortunate for... Reasons. 

"Hello," he replied, staring out at the water. It was peaceful, except for the non-stop chattering of Piper. The two girls would occasionally glance their way and giggle.  

It was as if Leo had read his mind, because he muttered after they looked away, "Girls." 

Jason laughed softly. He unintentionally admired the way his friend's loose curls blew in the beach wind, his elvish ears poking out. He had always seemed to be smiling just a little when they were together. That made Jason happy. 

 _No_ , Jason quickly reminded himself, _Look away before he noti-_

"You're staring," Leo pointed out with a grin. 

Jason flushed. He jerked his head away, and tried his best to force his blush down. "Sorry.. I think that must be annoying, kinda." 

"Really, it's fine. Of course you'd wanna admire my hotness. You're totally team Leo." He smirked. "Besides, it's kind of cute." 

Jason froze. Did he hear that right? _Cute_? He had no clue how that was supposed to be interpreted. To be safe, he could just say that was a friendly gesture. 

 _Friend's call each other cute all the time!_ Jason thought nervously. "You're so gay," he laughed, not knowing quite what to say.

But he couldn't help but feel high on the inside. Jason Grace- being called cute- by Leo Valdez? Now he felt like a high school fangirl.

"Tell me something I don't know," Leo laughed. Now Jason suddenly couldn't seem to meet his eyes. 

"And I was _not_ admiring your 'hotness'!"

"That's what they all say," Leo grinned. It then occured to Jason- the girls probably _did_ fawn over him as well. He sacrificed himself to stop Gaea, and even then cheated death. He was also remarkably attractive, as much as Leo liked to disagree to that.

Annabeth and Percy waded through the water and onto the shore nearby. "Annabeth!" Piper called. She whispered something in Calypso's ear, and the girl nodded.

When the blonde arrived near the two girls.. "We're having a girl's night out," Piper said. "You, Calypso, Hazel when she comes back, and me. To celebrate Calypso getting off that island, and Leo's return." 

 Annabeth smiled, squeezing the water out of her tied back hair. "That sounds fun." 

"Hey, hey," Percy came over, "You guys get a girls night out, and the guys stay at camp? Not cool." He grinned from ear to ear. 

"You can have your 'guy's night out', Percy, but it won't be as cool as ours," challenged Annebeth with a smirk. 

"Leo, Jason. You understand what this means?" 

The two boys shared mischievous looks with Percy, and the girls rolled their eyes. "Ours will be so awesome, your 'girly activities' will be begging us to make them cool," Leo said. "Of course I'd have to decline the offer, though." 

"Okay guys, we're scrapping that idea," Annabeth said quickly when saw Leo's hair begin to smoke. "Let's just have a regular 'night out.'" 

"Whatev's," shrugged Leo. "You know that our party would be better." 

"Right," said Piper. "I guess that would work out though, because I'm sure Leo and Calypso want some time together." She nudged Calypso and wiggled her brows. 

Leo looked away, and Jason found it hard to spot the blush agaist his Latino skin. He felt a pang of jealousy.

Percy and Annabeth were both staring at Jason as if waiting for him to confess his jealousy.

 _"Oh Leo..! I've had a crush on you for over a year.. Why must you hurt me by seeing someone else..? Ooh, the pain!_" Yeah, that wasn't happening. 

He unintentionally threw a glare towards them and they looked away. 

"And that could also give certain people time to discuss topics that _really_ need covered," she said, staring directly at Jason, making him feel immediately guilty.

All eyes were on him now. Jason came a little too close to snapping at the girl before Leo interfered.

"Jason," Leo whispered and set a hand on his shoulder, as if knowing he would say something stupid. Jason's heart skipped a beat and he pursed him lips. Leo gave him a _not right now_ look. 

"Anyway," Percy said hesitantly, breaking the silence that followed. "Hazel and Frank will get here tomorrow. Is that a good day?" The girls nodded, and Leo was still staring at Jason. Calypso's eyes narrowed in the slightest. 

Jason ran a hand through his hair, suddenly self conscious. He loved when Leo looked at him for longer for necessary. Just like he did, and he had the biggest crush on the guy. Wait, what?

Jason then froze, digging a bit too deep into his thoughts. Could Leo..? _No_. _Hes straight as a board_.

Calypso got up and sat next to Leo. "That will also give us some time together," she said, gesturing to her boyfriend. She planted a kiss on his cheek, and Jason looked away. 

"Yeah," Leo said, shifting in place a bit. "Actually, we have some time before dinner. Wanna go on a walk?" She nodded, and took his hand. 

Jason watched as they walked away. Leo was shorter than the girl, which Jason found.. slightly odd. He thought it'd look so much more natural with him at Leo's side, holding his warm hand.

"Just a little work, and I think they could be a cute couple," said Piper after they were gone. 

"Just a little work?" asked Percy with curiousity. 

 "It's kinda hard to explain," said Annabeth. She watched as the couple faded into the distance. "You didn't notice how.. Awkward they are?" 

Percy blinked. 

"Of course you didn't, seaweed brain." She laughed and gave him a kiss. Percy blushed.

Jason stared into space. Leo had Calypso. He should be happy. "I should head back," said Jason. "See you guys at the campfire." 

"We probably should too." Percy and Annabeth joined hands. Piper leaned up against a nearby tree and closed her eyes. She then spoke casually to Jason for the first time since the breakup. 

"Bye Jason." 

Jason froze. He then hesitantly waved as he leisurly walked back to his cabin.

He already missed Leo. Maybe if one day the two broke up... 

Jason shook his head. There was no way, no how Leo would ever have a crush on him. If by any chance Leo said he did, he would imagine it being a cruel prank. 

 _Ha! You totally thought I had a crush on you! Priceless_!

He scolded himself for thinking about Leo, again. _Is that all I think about_? 

Jason kicked a rock in the pavement that wove through Camp Half-Blood. _I need a life_ , he thought sulkingly. 

"It's not like that," Jason heard a familiar voice say, agitated. _Leo_?

"You hold my hand in public, yet you can't even look at me when we are alone?" A female voice said, trying hard to contain anger. "I... I thought you wanted to be my boyfriend because the time spent with me was worthwhile." 

"Calypso." Jason suddenly felt guilty for eavesdropping. The two were behind Hera's cabin, in private. But they were talking so _loudly_. "I came back to save you because.. Well.. You meant a lot to me. But when I was on Ogygia, you were the only girl there and I have a bad habit of falling for certain types of girls..." 

"Are you implying that you only fell for me because I was the only girl you find?" Jason tensed. 

"Well, no, I mean..  _Ugh_! You're so _difficult,_ " Leo said. "It's complicated. If I told you why then... Well.." 

Jason could almost feel the intensity of Calypso's glare and he couldn't even see her. "What?" demanded Calypso. 

"I had a lot of problems, and I was kind of desperate for something to take my mind off of.. uh.." 

 _Gods, why is Leo so stupid_ , Jason thought. He knew that saying you were desperate was thing you never should tell a girl. Especially an immortal one that centuries older than you. 

Silence followed. "So we are breaking up?" Calypso said. "Right after we.." Her voice faltered. 

"Calypso, I still really like you," Leo said hesitantly. "Remember when we said that we would someday open a shop together?" he asked. 

Silence. They must have been whispering, or they were having some sort of telepathic conversation. "Yeah. Okay," Calypso said. Jason rolled his eyes and sped away silently, right before he could stick around for them kissing.  

Leo really was a bad boyfriend. One of the many rules of the boyfriend code: _Thou shan't continue to date female is thou doesnt like it, and it hurts her_.

It was a short trip to Zeus's cabin, and when Jason got there he plopped on his bed, as he did everyday. If only Jason was Leo's to hurt.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be Leo/Jason in this chapter. Heh. >:)

As guilty as Jason was to admit it, he still had hopes for his and Leo's imaginary future together. His argument with Calypso had seemed to give his daydreams a wake up call- _Hey, soon Leo might be open again so those daydreams of yours might become real_!

He imagined cuddling with Leo at night when he was cold, tracing fingertips along his small frame. He smiled as he thought about how cute it would be- Jason lifting him up by the hips to kiss him, because he was so short.

 _Is it suddenly getting hot in here_? 

Jason felt like slapping himself. But then again, guys probably think thinks like of that of their buddies all the time! Haha, ha.  

"Hey Jason," a voice whispered in the dark. The blonde snapped out of his daydreams and caught a glimpse of Leo in the moonlight. 

"Hey, firefly." Leo snuck his way towards Jason's bed and sat at the edge, as he did every night. And each time, Jason never was less excited.

"Well, you can do that honor of declaring Leo Valdez _The Worst Boyfriend Ever_. I wonder if there's a first place prize," he said quietly with a sulk.

Jason felt suddenly, once again, felt guilty for eavesdropping earlier. "What happened?" he asked innocently. 

Leo shrugged with a frown. "Ever since I died... I dunno." Jason fought the urge to wrap his arms around Leo and tell him he was an amazing boyfriend- even though he knew that was a downright lie. At least taking Calypso into account. "I didn't feel satisfied- even after 'saving the day.' I just.." 

He stopped talking. Jason waited patiently. They were like venting buddies at night. Leo had snuck into Jason's cabin at night and broke the rules nearly every chance he got.  

"I think I rushed into the relationship before getting to know Calypso. Now that I know how.. Annoying she is, I guess, I just know that there are people that I'd rather be spending my time with." 

When he turned his head towards Jason, the moonlight caught his face, making his heart stop. He was truly more gorgeous than anything Jason could imagine. 

"Should I feel guilty?" 

Jason averted his eyes and sighed, considering it. "Crushes are very complicated, Leo." He was reluctant to continue- if he acted against the two dating, Leo might catch on to his... Feelings. "But to be honest- just do what makes you happy. If something happens to you.. Well," Jason said, his voice cracking a little. "I want you to look back and feel satisfied." 

Jason held his breath. He honestly stunk at pep talks, and didn't have much experience in the area. He hoped he said the right things.

He returned his eyes to Leo to find that he was staring. Not just glancing- like, _staring_ staring. Self consciousness washed over him. 

"Thanks, Wonderboy." Leo smirked. 

Jason chuckled quietly. At least he didn't fail. "Your nicknames are so weird." Wonderboy? 

"Not as weird as _firefly_!" Leo wrinkled his nose playfully. "Does it look like I have little wings?"

"Bro,  _Superman_ is the weirdest." 

Leo laughed, "You can _fly_. That makes you superman, automatically. You also know how to steal _any_ girls heart, if you haven't noticed how the chicks here gawk at you." 

"...Still."

Leo grinned. "I wonder how you'd look in a ca-" 

"Don't you _dare_ imagine that!" Leo's mischievous smile grew wider and wider, and his eyes sparkled. "Stop that!"

"I totally know what you're being this Halloween," said Leo with a goofy grin. 

Jason grabbed the nearest pillow and shoved it into Leo's face. His best friend stuck out his tongue after taking the pillow into his hand.

"Man, if you just declared a pillow fight, then you know you are going to lose." 

Jason couldn't help but laugh. "We aren't eight year olds at a slumber party, Leo." 

Before he could react, Jason felt knobby knees pin his wrists down into the bed. "Too late to back out," said Leo with an evil grin. 

A pillow was shoved into _his_ face this time, and Jason let out protests that were muffled. He attempted to wriggle free, only to be held firmly in place. 

As much as Jason would have liked to savor the moment with innocence, he was a teenage boy that just went through puberty. Having a crush pin you down into your own bed, _really_ close to you can't help the cause. His pants suddenly felt a little too tight.

Jason forced a bolt of electricity out his nose, and into the pillow. Leo let out a quick yelp and let go of it. He took advantage of this and flipped Leo around so Jason was on top, staring right into his brown eyes. The moon's light gleamed across Leo's face. 

Neither of the boys spoke a word. Leo wasn't struggling. A moment passed, and he was surprised that Leo hadn't bothered to move- at _all_.

Jason's eyes caught a black whisp of smoke curl of from Leo's nose, and into his face, dirtying his glasses. "Y-You're nose is.." _Gods, did I just stutter_? 

Leo's face flushed bright red, giving Jason a sense of satisfaction. Leo Valdez, the hottest and most amazing guy Jason ever met, was blushing because of _him_. (Wait, _what_ did he just think right there?) That was an accomplishment.

Before he became conscious of it, Jason reached his fingertips out to Leo's face and trailed them along his jawline. His smooth skin glided perfectly under Jason's pale fingers. Leo squeezed his eyes shut, and his breathing visably quickened. 

Jason jumped off of his friend as soon as possible. "I'm sorry! I- um.." He quieted his voice after realizing how loud he was. "I... Sorry." Jason let the apology go sheepishly. 

Leo sat up, wide eyed, and swatted at the tiny flame that danced on his nose. "It's fine," he said quickly. "I.. I gotta go." He raced out of the cabin, and Jason's face immediately flushed pink. 

 _Gods, please tell me that didn't just happen_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you fellow ValGrace shippers have suggestions for later chapters I'm open for ideas. :)


	6. Chapter 6

Jason didn't mean to recall what had happened just a couple hours ago. He didn't want to. Leo had a girlfriend, and there he was, flirting with him. _Not even flirting-_ Jason thought. _Romantically assaulting my best friend. Not cool._

He truly tried not to think about it. Pointless. He then remembered.. "Right," he whispered to himself. "I'm having an outing with everyone today." Well, that was going to be awkward. But then again- Jason liked to pretend that there was the slightest chance Leo could have wanted a peck on the lips. A guy could dream, though.

Was it normal to want those things from Leo? Jason admitted his crush to himself, but still. He _hated_ feeling like this, so out of control. He wasn't used to all of these mixed feelings- his relationship with Piper had been much more simple.

He pulled himself out of bed, feeling more sluggish than usual. Suddenly, having that "party" didn't sound so appealing. He slipped on his Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and fixed his bedhead. His dark red jacket was pulled on over top.

After Jason left his cabin, his blue eyes caught a crowd at the corner of his vision.

"Uh, hey," said a voice sheepishly in the middle of the mob. He recognized it as Frank's. 

Jason couldn't help but smile. Poor Frank wasn't used to a lot of attention, as he could tell. Suddenly being seen at 'one of the camp's saviors' probably caught him off guard. 

"Frank, Hazel!" Annabeth joined, shooing away the crowd. Jason jogged up to the three after the horde of demigods were gone. 

"Hey, guys," Jason also greeted. "Good to see you again."

Hazel and Frank both dismounted Arion, who immediately sprinted away in merely a second. Only a trail of dust was seen in his trail. 

Hazel sighed. "That horse _never_ stays." She turned and smiled at last to Jason and Annabeth. "Long time, no see." 

Frank smiled after her. "How was Camp Half-Blood while we were gone?" The guy no longer had a 'baby face' at all, Jason noticed. New muscles definition traced his arms, and his jawline had become increasingly pointy. 

"We've added some improvement to some of the cabins, but otherwise nothing's changed. It's good to see you two." Her eyes widened, as if remembering something. 

Jason caught her gray eyes and smirked. _Missing something_?

"Leo's  back," he said for Annabeth, breaking the ice. He didn't quite know how to say it- the news was so big, and frankly it made Jason more happy than anything.

Frank and Hazel both looked dumbfounded. "Wait.. What do mean _back_?"

Jason felt like bouncing up and down with excitement. "He came back from the dead," he managed to reply casually.

"So he returned from the dead," he repeated. "Like Hazel?" His dark eyes widened with surprise.

Annabeth nodded, grinning. "We were also very shocked. Yes, he's back."

Frank mouth hung open a bit with shock, but he then smiled wildly. "That's.." 

"Awesome!" Hazel finished for Frank. Her golden eyes danced with excitement and relief. "How is he? What happened? Do you know where he is?" 

Jason gestured to the Hephestus's cabin with a smile. "If Leo's in his cabin, you two can ask him." 

Frank grinned without restraint. "I'll definetly stop by to say hi.. And well, catch up on everything. I still haven't thanked him for- you know." He gestured to the fireproof pouch that hung from his waist. Inside contained his life. "I owe him one."

Jason didn't know quite how Frank handled it- knowing fully well that your fate relied on a half burnt stick, dangling around your belt. "I'm sure he'll be happy to see you two," he said with honesty. 

"Speaking of catching up, where's Nico?" Hazel peered around the camp with eager searching eyes. "I'd like to see my big brother before we go find Leo."

Jason scratched his head. Where _was_ Nico? He suddenly felt guilty. Had he ever bothered to wonder?

Annabeth paused as if doing mental calculations. "Nico should coming back from the task he was assigned about now," answered Annabeth. "I think he shou-" 

"Hazel," a voice greeted, right on que, showing a spot of hidden excitement. Nico di Angelo stepped from a shadow nearby, visibally exausted. Bags formed under eyes, and he seemed to be paler than usual.

"Nico!" The girl rushed towards her brother and wrapped him into a hug. He stumbled backwards a bit, off guard, but caught himself.

"I missed you," Nico said, planting a kiss on her forhead. Jason thought that was the most affection he would ever show to... Well,  _anyone_. "I _thought_ I sensed you nearby."

She smiled, ruffling his shaggy black hair. "You don't look very well," Hazel told him with worry. "How were you holding up while I was gone? You haven't shadow traveled often."

Nico frowned. "I've been doing fine. And sorry about that.. I've been more busy than I've intended." He glanced nervously in the direction of the infirmary. "And I'm not supposed to be shadow traveling. Right now was an exception, but don't tell anyone about that." 

Hazel nodded, but stared at Nico, suddenly confrontational. "And have you been eating enough?"

"Hazel," he said, rolling his eyes teasingly. "Don't worry about me, really."

Hazel hesitated before smiling. "I can't just not worry. I really hope you've been eating properly.." She then jumped a bit in place. "By the way, I heard Leo's back." 

Nico nodded. "He crash landed into the beach." A hint of amusement pricked at the boy's thin lips.

Hazel chuckled. "Sounds like him." She gave a quick peck on Nico's cheek before turning to Frank.

Her caramel brown fingers laced with his, causing him to blush in the slightest. "Want to go find the others?" she asked him. 

Frank nodded. He regarded the other demigods with a nod. "Bye everyone." Hazel waved goodbye. The two made their way towards the son of Poseidon's cabin. 

"Is Percy still sleeping in?" Jason asked with a smirk, although he couldn't blame the guy. 

"As usual," Annabeth replied. "Let's hope they don't walk in to a sea of drool."  

Jason laughed, then wondered if Leo was still awake. _No_ , he remembered. _He gets up fairly early_. That usually meant he was working on a early morning project in Bunker 9.

Well, Frank and Hazel will probably be searching for a while to find him.

"Hey Nico," Jason said before he could hurry away. And judging by the look Nico have him, Jason assumed that was just what he was about to do. "Will you be joining us tonight?" He already knew the answer, but it was worth asking.

Nico frowned. "No, I-" 

"Nico," Annabeth said with a taunting stare. It was her trademark death glare. "Will told me to tell you that if you refused to-"

"Please don't tell me you're listening to _him_ ," Nico complained. The grass below his dark boots began to recoil.

Annabeth frowned. "Will is right, dispite what your relationship is with him. You need more social interaction. It's a natural part of life." She lifted her hands up defensively. "I don't mean to nag, but it's true."

Jason nodded. "You really should spend more time with us. At least this once." Nico's eyes narrowed. "You were a major part of our quest, Nico. You can't pretend that all the time the eight of us spent together was meaningless."

Nico's black eyes didn't leave Jason's. He found it actually quite intimidating, but didn't avert the son of Hades's gaze. 

"I'll think about it." Nico sped off defensivly. 

Jason pursed his lips. "Do you think we pushed it?" he said after a moment. He knew how easy it was for Nico's temper to snap, and Jason was very cautious of not crossing that line.

Annabeth shook her head. "No. You were right, after all." Her grey eyes stared off at Poseiden's cabin. "I'll see you later, Jason. I'm going to go check on fish face." 

Jason felt like laughing at Percy's new nickname. He watched as Annabeth left his side. 

Leo, Jason remembered. He was going to check on him. He began walking towards the forest, where he would find Bunker 9. 

He was halfway to the forest until his stupid feet decided they had a brain of their own.

No, no, no. Jason stopped. His feet took a u-turn involuntarily as if screaming for him to avoid Leo as much as possible. _Bad feet_ , Jason scolded. _Leo's_ _that_ _way_. 

He pursed his lips and continued into the entrance of the forest. Newly shed leaves lined the grassy earth, and trees enveloped his surroundings.

Jason's legs began to feel like jelly after remembering the awkward situation he'd been put in the night before. He could just turn back, perhaps save talking to Leo for later that night.. _No. Stay focused. It's just a stupid crush_. He admitted it to himself hesitantly. Was it a crush? 

Jason felt dumb for even thinking otherwise. It was obviously a crush. He decided to ignore the fact, regardless.

Bunker 9 appeared into view, quicker than Jason would have liked. Obnoxious dance music blared from inside the fortress. Well, that was definitely Leo inside. 

"Leo?" Jason called into Bunker 9. Although it had been remodeled and fixed up a bit, he still couldn't figure out how to get in. 

A moment passed, and Jason called out his friend's name with more volume to lap over the deafening music. "Leo!" 

Jason was almost tempted to yell again, until several clicks sounded at his side. A door he hadn't noticed before opened, and Leo's face peeked out.

His dark, curly hair brushed into his face, soot and grease stains painting his Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. Dark spots of dirt flecked across his caramel brown skin and dark bags hung under his wide, auburn eyes, yet Jason still couldn't find him unattractive. 

Leo gestured the blonde inside, and hummed in time with the music. 

"Um.. What are you working on?" Jason didn't quite know what to say. He figured they'd be ignoring each other or something after what had happened. Well, that was what he _felt_ like doing.

Leo pulled what looked like an advanced MP3 player from his pocket to silence the giant speakers across the room. "I'm pretty sure that's not why you're here," said Leo with a lighthearted smirk. "But I'm on a complicated projectile for Camp Jupiter."

Bunker 9 was a lot more messy with projects than Jason would have expected, especially after a renovation. In the center of the building was a large table. Atop was an almost scary looking missile. 

It was actually quite impressive- and as a son of Jupiter, Jason wasn't up to date on the standards of 'what was epic' when it came to fortresses like Bunker 9. Complex looking gadgets hung on the walls, along with inventions that looked like they had jumped into a pit of lava.

"You're right, that probably isn't why I'm here," Jason admitted. He pursed his lips and changed the subject. "I know they must have their reasons and stuff, but isn't that odd for Camp Jupiter to ask of you to design their weapons?" 

Leo scratched his cheek, and shrugged. "I guess so." He dug a plier from his tool belt and dug it into the invention, pulling at several wires carefully.  

"But you're going to do it anyway," Jason said with a frown. 

"Yup." 

Jason couldn't help but grin. This was one of the many reasons why he loved Leo. 

"Chiron recommended me, and after Reyna saw some of my work I was advocated for some of their inventions," Leo added. "And you know how it is now, with the Romans. We are working together now."  

Jason nodded after a moment. "Well I guess that makes it less.. er, suspicious." Jason heard a sudden pop, and sparks erupted from the back of the weapon. He jumped away quickly.

Leo cursed in Spanish, irritated. Flaming specks scattered through the air, a little too close for Jason's liking. "Let's just hope I don't give them something dangerous even having _near_ them." Jason couldn't tell if he was joking or not. 

He watched as Leo dug into his project, eventually ceasing the sparks that wildly flew from it. Leo was acting so causally, especially after what had happened between the two of them.

"Look, about what happened last night.." Sometimes, it seemed like the guy could read Jason's mind. Leo stepped back from his work, and wiped sweat from his brows before glancing up at Jason with utter seriousness. 

Jason averted his eyes and began messing with the hem of his jacket. "Uh, yeah, sorry about that, again. I don't know what I was thinking." 

Leo continued to look at him, so Jason wriggled with self consciousness. "Then that's one thing we have in common. We don't think," Leo laughed. It was good seeing his friend like this again.  

"That could be true," admitted Jason with a chuckle. He relaxed, letting the tension from his shoulder go. 

Leo huffed in exhaustion and sat down on the cold cement flooring. "If Calypso was there she probably would have taken it the wrong way." 

 _Anyone would have taken it the wrong way_ , Jason though, amused. "You _were_ blushing."

"And you were on top of me," Leo countered with compitition in his tired eyes.

"Your nose was on fire." Jason smirked. Leo turned his head to avert Jason's gaze.

"It does that sometimes," he muttered. "Not my fault, man." He lay outstretched with hands behind his head and eyes closed sleepily. Jason saw a hint of pink in the boy's cheeks.

Jason grinned. "Made you blush." 

"Also, not my fault," Leo chuckled. He wiggled a bit, somehow making himself comfortable on the cold floor. "If I'm not up before we leave, wake me up," he said, changing the subject. He yawned. Jason fought off an " _awwww!_ ". Adorable, adorable, adorable. 

"Okay," said Jason, managing a poker face. "And by the way, Frank and Hazel might st-" Leo was already snoring. 

How long had he been awake? Jason knew one thing about Leo- whenever he felt stressed, he buried himself in his work. Last night probably took a toll on him as it did for Jason. If he was correct, Leo hadn't slept at all last night and most likely spent very few hours sleeping the night beforehand.

Jason smiled sadly, pulling off his jacket. "Good.. Uh, morning I suppose." He set the red garmet across Leo's chest as it deeply rose and fell in rythm.    

 

 

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

Hours had flown by; Jason felt at surprising ease after laughing off with Leo what happened the night before. He was instructing the first years with sword fighting for a large fraction of his time. 

"You've gotta be quicker than that," Jason said as he stabbed at the younger demigod's chestplate. A crowd had already gathered around the two. That always seemed to happen when Jason did... Well, _anything_.

The boy scowled as he was jabbed, and ripped his sword through the air. Jason would never admit it aloud for sensitivity reasons, but the guy kind of sucked for a child of Athena.

Jason had to merely duck to evade the attack. "Nice try, kid." 

The boy continued to swing his heavy sword back and forth, missing Jason every time. He looked so awkward with the weapon, so Jason had assumed he wasn't used to lifting so much weight. He really needed it though, as the lack of muscle on the boy told him.

Sweat trickled the boy's forehead, and he continued to toss some pretty pathetic moves, but with determination. He peered down for a moment as if coming up with a mastermind plan.

"Come on," he complained. "If I had special powers like Percy, or Leo, I'd probably beat you."

Jason sometimes wondered if that were actually true. He spoke with confidence, regardless. "Please, they could never beat me," Jason laughed, knowing Percy was watching over the match. He _might've_ said that just to challenge the son of Poseiden. 

"Percy, that isn't true is it?" the boy asked with innocence.  

"Hey man, the beach is right over there, lightning boy," Percy reminded threateningly from the mod of demigods. "Not that it matters. I could totally beat you without a puddle in sight."

Jason smirked. "Want to test that? This time, it won't be a draw." He had almost completely forgotten the boy he was fighting with. Several of the campers ignited the competitive tension with shouts like 'Fight, fight, fight!'

Before Jason could do anything, he felt something sharp yet thick slice across his abdomen.

He cursed, realizing he had been totally off guard. The boy had a smug look of satistfaction. Jason felt for the wound but kept eye contact with him.

Jason's fingers grazed a long cut, and he didn't need to see it to know that it was deep. Dispite the pain, he didn't even wince.

"That might be your first blow," Jason remarked, flicking thick, sticky blood from his fingertips and into the grass. "Percy, I don't feel so generous anymore. Should I just finish him off?" 

"Go ahead."

It took one hit with the hilt of Jason's sword to knock the boy out. The crowd cheered in satisfaction.

Much heavier pain now began to flood to Jason's stomach, but he pursed his lips with effort and managed to ignore it.

"I thought you were instructed not to go easy on him, anyway," Percy reminded. His eyes drifted to the wound on Jason's stomach, but he probanly decided not to call attention to it.

Jason shrugged, trying not to wince. "Well I wanted to give him a chance." He peered around. "Who was I supposed to fight next, again?" He suddenly felt a bit dizzy.

"There's no way your fighting with that," said a new voice with seriousness. Jason turned to see Leo with his auburn eyes gleaming with concern.

"Oh, hey Leo. How long have you been here?" Jason's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "And what do you mean?" 

"I just got here. But really, dude..." Leo's eyes dropped to the wound on Jason's stomach, as if gesturing to it. He glanced down. 

He immediately averted his eyes after catching glimpse of the cut. It was.. Well, _blood red_ and staining his Camp Halfblood t-shirt at the ends of the rip. It was bad. "Oh." 

"I'm taking you too the infirmary to get that checked out, man," Leo insisted instantly, although Jason didn't complain. 

"I could do it instead, if you'd like," Percy volunteered, but Leo shook his head. 

"Nope, Jason's all mine. Besides, me and superman here will get to have some best-buddies-forever time." 

Jason's heart dropped. He really wanted more than just being "best buddies forever." Of course, he'd never admit that. That could be his little secret.

Percy wiggled his brows at Jason extremely suggestively when Leo wasn't looking. Jason rolled his eyes. "Let's get going." 

The crowd looked disappointed, but made way for the two. Many demigods excitedly welcomed Leo back, and threw in questions about his death that he had to ignore. The son of Athena that Jason had fought was carried back to his cabin. 

As they walked in silence, Jason risked a peek at the wound once more, and instantly regretted it. "Who ever knew that kid could do that kind of a blow." 

Leo chuckled. "Yeah. He looked like he was flailing at your shadow or something. Not quite sure what was going on there." 

Jason laughed softly, which in turn hurt his abdomen's deep cut. He held back a wince. "I just hope I don't get stuck having to deal with Will when we get to the infirmary. That guy won't shut up about Nico."

"It's amazing how Nico hasn't caught on yet," Leo said with a smirk. "Even _I_ have.. Which really says something."

"I ship it," Jason said, grinning from ear to ear. Leo glanced over at him with a 'seriously?' look, but couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"You're strange," Leo said, smiling. 

"Not as strange as you, firestarter." And Jason knew it was true- Leo _was_ pretty strange. 

They walked in silence for most of the way. Jason enjoyed Leo's company- even though they didn't talk much. He stole a few glances at his friend, who was fidgeting with several metal parts. A minute or so later, Leo looked down to see a small ring. 

The ring's wiring was encrested with ancient roman symbols- how Leo knew them, Jason had no clue. He had to admit that the ring looked like pretty the definition of awesome. 

Leo blinked. "I make the strangest things when I'm not looking," he chuckled. "I don't even know Roman." Leo tossed the ring into the grassy floor nearby. 

When they arrived, Jason frowned as Leo said his goodbyes. He really just wanted to relax and maybe chat with the Latino today.

"Don't go," Jason whined, not intended at all to say that but it somehow embarrassingly slipped out. Oh gods.

"Uncle Leo won't be gone for very long," he replied. "He has boyfriend duties and work to catch up on." Leo smiled at him with that warm beam the blonde always loved. "We will be seeing each other soon anyways, remember?"

Jason frowned, then nodded. "Yeah, I guess so." He watched with heartache as Leo started away. As the days went by, it seemed harder and harder to watch him walk away. 

Jason had to admit, he tended to act on impulsion at times. But this was just ridiculous.

He stopped Leo with a hug from behind. His toned arms wrapped perfectly over his slightly frail body. Jason rested his chin on his shoulder, and Leo froze, wide eyed.

Neither moved a muscle, and Jason found it extremely comforting, despite his wound painfully brushing against Leo's back. As creepy as it would've sounded to Jason any other time, he took a deep breath in through the nose and inhaled the scent of Leo- soot and ash. So fragrant. "Bye, Uncle Leo."

If Jason could go back in time, he wouldn't have changed a thing.

 


	8. Chapter 8

 

It had seemed like an eternity with Jason hugging Leo from behind, and he had never wanted it to end. He was warm, soft, and so... Leo.

Jason could feel his heartbeat. It was soothing, somehow. 

"Jason," he slowly stepped forward and out of his grasp. Jason had immediately missed the warmth that the two shared. "I know you love me man, but I have to go."

He smiled warmly, laughing softly afterwards. He didn't look annoyed or mad- he didn't even look uncomfortable.

Jason blushed, and nodded. "...Later, Leo." Okay, he needed impulsion control around that guy. Jason had a feeling that one day he was going to do something beyond the normality of ridiculousness.

Leo gazed at Jason before hesitantly turning. His knobby shoulders swayed slightly with every step as he walked off. Gods, Leo was hot.

Jason shook his head a bit before peering around. Before he decided to step into the infirmary, he paced over to the general spot Leo had made the ring at from earlier. 

His eyes searched into the grass. He was suddenly thankful for the new glasses he received- even then, it took a minute or two of concentrated sleuthing. He then spotted the gleaming bronze wiring of the ring. He bent to pick it up, and slipped it onto his pointed finger. 

It fit perfectly. 

He sped off to the infirmary, flustered. Why on earth did he keep it, Jason never figured out.

He pushed the thoughts out of his mind. And stepped inside. He looked around- it was more homey than typical mortal hospitals. He had never actually been inside because he was rarely injured in battle.

"I'm guessing you want that checked out," a demigod said nearby, pointing to his wound. 

He turned to see the stranger staring at him like he was a gorgeous male model. _Oh gods_. "Um, yeah."

Her bright blue eyes looked Jason up and down, as if critiquing a plate of food.

"Right this way," she said at last, winking. He rolled his eyes and followed. Evidently word got around that Jason had broke up with Piper.  

She led them to one of the rooms. The door closed with a click. The room was decorated soothingly and he suddenly felt relaxed, and no longer uncomfortable- welcoming to being healed. Jason recognized it as Mist.

"Take your shirt off," she instructed a bit  sheepishly as she opened a medical supplies kit. Jason obliged and his Camp Halfblood shirt slipped off and over his head. He felt slightly embarrassed and still not used to ladies gawking at him as if he were a god. "By the way, I'm Sabrina." 

Jason didn't know what to say. Sabrina cut a square of ambrosia and handed it to him. He nibbled at the end a bit. It had tasted like roasted marshmallows- a little burned, and ashy smelling. It reminded him of Leo.

As Jason ate, Sabrina cleaned the wound. "After I'm done with this, try not to move the area around more than usual. The ambrosia should clear it up in around two days, but we don't want it opening back up."

He nodded, feeling the need to squirm uncomfortably as she lightly poked stitches into the wound. Jason looked at anywhere but the cut. 

As much as nobody knew this as the truth, Jason was kind of awkward around girls. Even new people in general. Yet everybody insists on calling him perfect- he felt obligated to live up to their standards somehow.

He wished he would have paid more attention during his fight so he wouldn't have to go through this trouble.  _But then again_ , he though, _I wouldn't have gotten the chance to hug Leo like that_. 

Jason wondered what he was up to, despite them seeing each other literally ten minutes ago. Spending time with Calypso, most likely. Probably kissing her once in a while. Gosh, he got jealous too easily.

"So, I heard you broke up with Piper," said the girl, as if trying to break the silence. 

Jason pursed his lips. He was tempted to snap at her to mind her own business, but would never actually consider it. "Yeah." He wished his love life wasn't made public in Camp HalfBlood.

She blew a strand of black hair from her face. "Do you have your eyes on anyone else?" she asked with obvious hope in her voice.

He felt like rolling his eyes. She had better not be trying to hit on him. 

"Um..." He didn't know how to answer. "Yeah, I do." Well, responding truthfully would probably sway her from flirting. It made him feel awkward when girls were like that around him.

She glanced up at Jason suspiciously. "Are you lying?" 

"Why would I be lying," he snapped a little too rudely. He didn't feel as guilty as he should have, regardless. This kind of stuff wasn't her business. He didn't even know her.

Sabrina looked back to the wound, continuing to work. She said nothing. 

Jason peered out the window. Two demigods were having an argument in the distance, which he had gotten distracted by. Time passed slowly.

"I know you don't know me, but I'm just going to tell you this anyway," she said at last. She was almost finished, tying in the last stitch into the dangerously deep cut. "Nearly all of the girls at Camp HalfBlood are fauning over you. You don't need to worry about if she likes you or not."

Jason simply stared at her. He had always wondered why Leo would ever like him, but when Sabrina had said that, he suddenly felt hope. 

Maybe Leo _did_ like him. He did stare at him a lot, just like Jason had(as embarrassingly as it was).The son of Hephestus never pulled away awkwardly when he hugged him. He had always preferred his time with Jason, even over Calypso. 

Jason suddenly felt a jolt of happiness. It was possible- but he couldn't get his hopes up. He had to remain realistic about it. Leo was straight. Probably.

"Thanks," he muttered, turning his head. Sabrina finished the last stitches shortly afterwards. 

She shrugged. "And you could rest here for a while if you want. I'm guessing it's a no, though, knowing you." 

"You're right," Jason said. He wished everyone didn't know so much about him, as he didn't even know their names. "I have stuff to do today, anyway." 

She nodded, packing up her supplies. "Maybe I'll see you around in camp sometime."

"Yeah," Jason said. He got up and stretch slightly, cautious of avoiding a new injury to his newly stitched wound. "Thanks for patching me up." After Sabrina and he had chatted, she had stopped throwing dreamy glances his way. He suddenly didn't find her as annoying.

When Jason was about to leave, she stopped him. "But remember what I said." Her eyes were filled with seriousness. 

He nodded hesitantly. He wouldn't forget. In fact, he needed the reassurance. He needed hope for Leo's return of admiration, and possibly even love.

"Bye." 

* * *

"Did you ask for approval from Chiron yet, Percy?" Annabeth asked. Her hair was tied up, how it usually was when she was about to travel or complete a quest.

"Yeah," he said. His arm was wrapped snugly around Annabeth, who's gray eyes flashed with content. "He said that we need to be back by tomorrow night though, or we are on toilet duty." He cringed.

Hazel wrinkled her nose. "And we don't even go to this camp.." 

"Now all we need is Calypso and Leo," Piper said, brushing choppy brown hair out of her eyes. "Anyone know where they are, by any chance?" 

Jason shrugged, peering around. Where were they, anyway? 

"I could fly and check," Frank suggested.

"Sorry we are a bit late," said a voice, as if on que. Jason turned to see Calypso walking towards the group with a face of annoyance. Leo followed behind, visuably unhappy. 

"Hey, Calypso." Annabeth smiled, probably deciding not to comment on how upset she was. 

Jason nodded to Leo. The brunette smiled to him, joining the seven, but didn't look anyless upset. He flashed him a confused glance questionably, but the boy waved it off. 

"Hi," Calypso said simply, and smiled. 

"Have you met Frank and Hazel yet?" Piper asked. "They don't get to visit that often."

Calypso nodded. "Yes, they stopped by when Leo and I were together." 

Frank's face flushed. "Um.. Sorry about that, again." Hazel blushed as well, averting her eyes.

"What happened?" Jason asked, frowning. He glanced between the four of them curiously. 

"Nothing," Leo said bluntly. He turned his eyes away. Jason could swear he saw hurt in those beautiful brown orbs.

He figured the two were fighting again. 

Piper and Annabeth met eyes, as if having a telepathic conversation- the way women sometimes did, as if they could read each other's mind. They must have caught on, too. 

"Anyway," Percy said, his sea green eyes looking back and forth between all of them. "Where did you guys have in mind?" 

Calypso shrugged. She wore a bright sundress that revealed her a large portion of her shoulders and back. Jason didn't know why, but it annoyed him. "I have no clue about what teenagers do these days for fun, so you can surprise me." 

Frank nodded. "I don't mind either. As long as we are all together." He then looked around, and his brows furrowed. "Will Nico be joining us?" 

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "He really didn't want to go." 

"Ugh, that kid," Jason said gloomily. He wished Nico would lighten up sometimes.

"Yeah," Piper agreed hesitantly, staring at Jason as if studying him. "We could go to a city we all like, and see where that takes us. We will probably find things that are fun."

"I think that's a good idea," said Hazel. "Did Leo tell you guys he built a caraige for Arion? The distance won't matter, now, so whatever city sounds the best."

Everyone glanced at Leo when Hazel said this, who replied, "Hey, I only built that cause am _not_ risking falling off that horse's ass." Jason couldn't help but smile.

"I kind of always wanted to visit China," Frank suggested sheepishly. 

"As much as that sounds cool, there's no way I can speak the panda language, along with most of us, I'm pretty sure. If we all were split up, that wouldn't turn out too well," Leo said. He said this a bit distantly, twisting a screw in between his fingers.

"That is true," Hazel said. "We can go though, soon. Together, just you and me." She smiled and Frank and held his hand. He smiled. 

"We could visit Rome," Percy suggested. "I loved that city." Everyone looked to each other with no protests. 

"Besides, half of us speak roman so it won't be much of a problem," Jason pointed out.

"Well there's no reason we should wait any longer, then. We should head out," Annabeth said. She whispered something in Percy's ear, and he smiled. 

Rome was nice, Jason thought. Romantic. He and Leo could- 

 _Right_ , Jason remembered, eyes meeting Calypso's. _Probably more romantic for Leo and Calypso_. No Leo/Jason time allowed for him. But that wasn't a problem. He was  not jealous, he had to force into his brain.

 _I'm not jealous_.

 

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason finally clears the air with Piper :o Dun dun DUUUN

When the eight arrived in the city of Rome, Jason wanted to barf. He had never traveled so fast- and he honestly wasn't looking forward to the ride back. 

"You okay there, Jason?" Percy asked, visibly trying not to laugh. Lucky him, he didn't feel like he was about to throw up several day's worth of breakfast.

Jason couldn't help but smile, and flicked the son of Poseiden off teasingly. The demigods hopped out of the caraige, half looking sickened. 

"That was a little too fast for me," Piper said as she wearily clasped Annabeth's shoulder for support. She looked like she was going to collapse then and there. 

Hazel chuckled. "Yeah, sorry about that. You'll probably get used to it after a while." _Probably_.

"Wow," Percy admired, gaping. "I guess this is the first time I really saw how amazing this place is. I mean last time, we kind of had to save the world and had a great chance of dying, so I didn't really get to take the whole place in. And even _then_ , it was awesome."

Jason turned and followed his gaze- and he saw that Percy wasn't exaggerating. Ancient towers were scattered throughout Rome, along with a colosseum every so often in the distances. It was architecturaly amazing- Annabeth must have loved it. A bright blue sky gleamed above, the perfect weather for a day like this.  

Jason's eyes caught Leo, who stared ahead, wide eyed as well. "So awesome," he muttered excitedly.

The blonde smirked. Calypso came up from behind Leo, wrapping arms around him, just as Jason did earlier that day. She whispered something in the boy's ear. 

Leo smile turned downward. "It's fine," Jason heard him say nearly unaudibly. Calypso's bright pink lips met his cheek. 

Jason averted his eyes. Suddenly the city in front of him didn't look as pleasing. 

"If I'm correct, this is Janiculem Hill," Annabeth said. "Not a very 'out of the way' spot to stop at." She then gestured to the many tourists around the demigods.

Several of the tourists raised eyebrows at the horse and its carriage, but quickly continued sightseeing. "That's all, Arion," Hazel told the horse, who afterward sped into the distance. 

The demigods stood atop the hill now, drawn to the view of Rome. "So the plan is to just.. Explore?" Calypso said. "Whatever it is, we should get going soon. I'm not used to being around so many people."

Jason nodded. "Besides, it will be sunset in only a couple of hours." He pursed his lips and met eyes with Calypso's. "And Rome is full of tourists, so you won't have much luck with escaping that." It came out a bit rude, but Jason didn't care. He didn't like the girl. And no, he was _not_ jealous. At all.

Her almond shaped eyes narrowed at him, but she apparently decided to ignore Jason's comment and averted her them. 

"I have a good idea," Frank said, watching the two worriedly. The way Calypso had narrowed her eyes at Jason had been threatening. 

 _Let's hope it's not an idea that involves Calypso snogging Leo behind my back_ , Jason thought. 

* * *

The last thing Jason had wanted was lunch on the beach. He sat (alone, watching the others by the way) nibbling at the ends of a piece of bread they had bought while walking through the streets.

Leo and Calypso sat together up ahead, chatting playfully. Annabeth and Percy waded knee deep in the water, playing some kind of game that Jason was honestly too irritated to guess. Hazel rested her head on Frank's shoulder, staring out into the ocean.  

That left Piper and Jason. She sat alone as well, watching the others just as Jason was. Every so often when he glanced over, she had too. They met eyes, and awkwardly looked away. 

Jason didn't mind being single that much. But that whole scenario right there had been shoving it in his face. 

He suddenly felt Piper staring at him. His eyes never left the water, even as footsteps neared. Jason felt sweat begin to form at the top of his forehead. He did not want to talk to her right now. Piper at last made her way to Jason's side. 

The two sat in silence. Jason never looked at her once. 

"About the break up," Piper started. Jason felt her staring again, but he didn't say anything as she had expected him to. 

Jason pursed his lips and mustered the courage to meet her eyes. He could see she wasn't broken. She wasn't the girl that was weak, or shallow. Piper had handled the break up responsibly. Many of the people who called her anything like that were foolish.

"Would you mind explaining, er... What happened?" she asked with hesitation. 

Jason really didn't feel like answering. Her kaleidoscope eyes sparked with the tiniest amount of anger, but mostly curiosity.

He looked away. "I really don't want to talk about it." He regretted bothering, because he knew Piper would push it.

Silence followed. Piper's eyes never left Jason, creating an uneasy tension.

"But you don't think you could explain what went wrong?" Frustration slowly built in her voice.

"You wouldn't understand," Jason unintentionally snapped. He watched as Leo enflamed the top of his head with blue fire, doing impressions of Hades from the Disney film _Hercules_. Calypso was giggling.

"You can at least tell me," she said. "I might not understand. But we are still friends, no matter what happens between us." 

Jason turned. Her face shown utter seriousness. He didn't know if she meant for charmspeak to make its way into her voice, but Jason suddenly believed what she said. Piper _was_ his friend.

"Even heroes have feelings."

As much as he didn't want to admit it, Jason needed to hear that. He needed to know that it was okay to feel the way he did, and that he had someone to talk to about it.

Jason stared at the sand in front of him. "Yeah," he said. "Unfortunently they do."

The two sat in comfortable silence. Could he really tell his ex that he had been fauning over his best friend (who was a _dude_ ) while they were _dating_? Not cool.

 _But then again_.. Piper stared out at the ocean, waiting patiently to see if Jason would crack. She was Jason's friend. He could tell her anything. 

"If I told you why, you wouldn't like it," Jason said hesitently. Piper met his eyes. 

"Jason, to be honest, I don't give a crap." 

He sighed, looking to the others to make sure they wouldn't catch any of what he was saying- Percy and Annabeth were still in the water, Leo was now building an actually really well constructed sandcastle with Calypso, and Frank and Hazel were cuddling up ahead.

"Pipes, I-" his voice faltered, and he blushed in the slightest. "Sorry." 

"You can still call me that," she replied, holding back a laugh. She remained friendly with him even after Jason had dumped her so bluntly, and to her, it probably seemed extremely random. 

Jason nodded. "Well.. Uh.. I suppose being with you didn't feel very.. Right." Gods, he was awful at these kinds of conversations. He stared at the sand.

Piper raised an eyebrow. "How so?" 

"Um..." _Just tell her_ , he scowled himself. _She's your friend_. Jason sighed. "I was kind of head over heels for someone else." The words left his mouth quickly, and Jason tensed.

Piper didn't say anything. Jason was actually quite afraid to meet her eyes, but when he did, he at least didn't regret it.

She frowned distantly. "So it _is_ true." 

 _What_. "What do you mean by that?" he asked nervously. 

"Jason, you could have broken up with me long before you did. I know I loved you.." her voice shook a bit. "To be honest, I still do. But I want the best for you." 

Jason suddenly felt a huge weight lift from his shoulders. He fought the urge to laugh with relief- Piper wasn't mad. But then again..

He saw sadness past the words Piper spoke. 

 _It feels like I broke her heart_.

Jason turned away guiltily, eyes falling back to Leo and Calypso. The sandcastle they had built was somehow suddenly 5 feet tall, with working drawbridges and a river surrounding it. 

He really did wrong her. She admitted she loved him- but what were Jason's feelings towards her when they were dating? Meanwhile he was wishing he could snog Leo. _What a boyfriend_ , Jason thought angrily at himself- At everything.

"When you said you were head over heels for someone else," Piper said, breaking the silence. "I... I know who it is. Actually, a lot of us already know." She gestured to the others. 

Jason's face flushed. "What?" he stammered. There was _no_ way everyone knew about the secret that was killing him, that he had been hiding for so long.

"Well, you weren't very subtle with it.." she smirked, then watched as Calypso git annoyed at Leo over something. The two began to bicker with each other. "Personally I think you'd make a more suitable partner." 

Jason was beet red. "Who knows about that besides you and Percy?" 

Before Piper could respond, Leo sped over to the two, clearly upset. "I'm about sick of that woman," he growled as he sat down next to Jason. 

"What happened?" Jason and Piper asked in unison. Leo curled his knees up to his chest and stared ahead, pouting. _Which,_ Jason found rather adorable, but not like it mattered.

"We argue about stuff that doesn't even matter," he replied, irritated. "Like just now: 

'Oh Leo, your not supposed to connect the draw bridge right there, it will break!'

Like come _on_ , woman, I've been working with this kind of stuff my whole life. 

'Oh Leo, do you even know what you're _doing_?' 

I swear to Hephestus, she thinks she knows everything." 

His impression of Calypso was probably pretty insulting to her, mainly because to do it he had to switch to a voice three octives higher.

Jason fought the urge to laugh, and when he caught eyes with Piper, he knew wasn't the only one. He was conflicted against either that or comforting his friend with a straight face.

Calypso was sitting near the shore, turned away from them. Her cinnamon brown hair blew in the wind, and her dress fluttered in the slightest. Jason could see why Leo liked her- but at the same time, had no clue why. "I'm going to go talk to her," Piper said finally.

Leo frowned, but didn't reply. When she had left, the two boys sat in silence. 

"I know this isn't really my business, and you probably have your reasons," Jason said as he poked at the sandy earth. Leo turned his head a bit, interested. "But if you guys fight so often, why are you still dating?" 

Jason really hoped it didn't seem as if he wanted them to break up. 

Leo sighed. "I don't know anymore." He stared at the ground, auburn eyes sunken with emptiness. Jason even thought he saw hints of dejection.

"But anyway," he said suddenly, laughing a bit forcefully, "We should be leaving here soon. Uncle Leo here doesn't want Percy dragging him into the water, like that one time."

Leo stood up, dusting the sand from his clothes. All emotion on the boy's face was wiped clean, and he was smiling like his usual self. 

Jason got up as well, hands in pockets. He hated seeing look Leo so sad, when he thought nobody knew how he felt. 

 _I wish I could help you_ , thought Jason.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, there's gonna be Jason/Leo in this chapter hehehe

_Well_ , Jason thought. _I guess that means they made up_?

Calypso was holding Leo's hand in front of Jason as he walked, her head rested on his shoulder. Jason was _not_ jealous, by the way. 

She then planted a kiss in the crook of Leo's neck.

Did Jason ever mention he wasn't jealous? Because he was not. Not one bit. Nope.

Jason frowned. That could have been him, if things ever magically turned out right. That could be him, kissing Leo, caressing him at night, holding his warm hand, sucking at his soft, perfect skin... 

 _Woah, Jason. Don't think like that. Creep alert._ _Besides_. Jason felt like slapping himself- which he felt like doing a _lot_  of recently. .. _He's just a friend_.

"I think this is a good place to stay at," Annabeth said when they approached a roman style hotel. Flowers detailed the front entrance, along with tall white pillars. It's design was visually amazing. The ancient buildings were just one of the many things Jason admired about Rome and its history.

"It will probably be more expensive than usual, since we're.. You know, in Rome," Hazel pointed out. "Does anyone have euros?" 

Percy nodded, pulling out foreign currency. "I would have forgotten if Annabeth hadn't reminded me, so thank her," he said, scratching his cheek. 

Annabeth took the money from Percy and gave him a peck on the cheek. 

The interior of the hotel was just as pleasing to the eye as it was on the outside, if not more. The building looked ancient, as if the owners wanted to preserve the ethnicity. "Amazing," he heard Piper comment under her breath. 

Annabeth took the initiative and paid for one night. Jason made his way to a luxurious sofa nearby the lobby with a fireplace rested across from it. He plopped down on the seat, exhausted from the day. It had felt so odd, all of the sudden not being chased by enemies that wanted to kill you. It was unsettling to know that he was spending his as a typical mortal would.  

Just minutes later, Annabeth joined the seven demigods. "I paid for two rooms, one for the guys and the other for the girls." 

Nobody had a problem with that- if they spoke up against it, it'd probably be a bit embarrassing anyway.

It certainly wasn't a problem for Jason- he didn't have to separate from Leo. One of the perks of liking a person of the same sex. 

Annabeth kissed Percy goodnight- He smiled giddly when she left. Hazel and Frank hugged by, and Calypso kissed Leo on the cheek. Not like Jason cared. 

Jason plopped onto one of the beds, exhausted. "I think two of us will have to sleep on the floor," said Frank when he saw the beds.

They all stared at each other expectantly. No one volunteered to do the brave. 

"I'll do it," Jason and Percy said at the same time. They shared glances and couldn't help but laugh. 

"Well that settles it," Leo said, smirking. "Now I feel like the bad friend." 

"Me too," Frank admitted. 

Percy patted the son of Mars on the back. "Don't worry, you can sleep on the freezing floor next time, if it makes you feel better." Frank cracked a smile of amusement.

Jason grabbed a blanket from one of the beds. "Well, I'm calling it a night, guys." 

They nodded their heads, and said their goodnights.

It wasn't long before the light came off. Jason missed Leo. _He's five feet away from you, stupid,_ he reminded himself.

Well, that felt odd. Jason wiggled around uncomfortably on the floor, knowing that Leo and he were sleeping in the same room together. He knew he shouldn't have felt that way, but.. 

Minutes past, and Jason tried forcing himself to sleep. He even attempted tricking his body into sleepiness by yawning. Nothing. 

He turned. It felt to _weird_ to be sleeping with Leo so close. He felt nervous. 

He suddenly heard Percy's loud snoring across the room, startling him. Well, now he _knew_ he wasn't going to sleep.

It seemed like an eternity, staring up at the wall. ADHD began to kick in, which made it worse. He wasn't going to sleep in a while, so he might as well do something, right?

"Leo," Jason whispered into the darkness hesitantly, just soft enough for the Latino to hear. He waited, staring into at nothingness. The boy was probably asleep. 

"Yeah?" 

Jason smiled. At least he wasn't the only one that couldn't get to sleep. "Can't go to sleep either?" he chuckled quietly. 

"I thought I was the only one," Leo replied. Jason suddenly felt warm and fuzzy. The feeling was hard to explain.

Jason was tempted to ask him if he wanted to sneak out, but decided against it. He sighed softly. 

"Do you want to sneak out?" Leo asked mischievously.

Jason couldn't help but grin wildly. Great minds think alike. Soul mates usually did, too. Not like that mattered. 

"I was thinking the same thing," he replied. Jason pulled himself up off the cold floor. He then caught a glance of the room when the moon was uncovered by clouds.

Percy was sprawled on the ground, drooling. Jason fought the urge to laugh. Frank was curled up as a dog on his bed, chest rising and falling gently. 

Then there was Leo. The moonlight caught his face, illuminating his features. From his elvin ears, to his curly brown hair, to his toned arms. 

Leo cautiously hopped off of his bed, glancing nervously to Percy and Frank, careful of not waking them. 

Both Leo and Jason met by the window, peering out. "That might be a bit of a jump," Leo commented, looking down at the three story drop with a frown. Just below them lay the streets of Rome, still bustling with late night tourists. 

"Hey," Jason reminded, grinning. "I'm 'Superman,' remember?" 

Leo flushed. "Oh. How did I forget that?" He then placed his hand on the window, as if feeling for something. "Of course, no locks. Just a sec." 

He reached for his toolbelt nearby (almost falling over and into Percy, in the process) and stumbled back to the window, amazingly not waking the others. 

"Dude," Jason smirked and forced back a laugh. "A little quieter, will you?" 

"Oh shut up, Grace," Leo whispered back as he pulled out several tools to unhatch the window. 

Jason waited patiently, taking the opportunity to admire Leo's breathtaking features. He loved watching Leo when he worked- how his nimble hands moved so naturally, and how he furrowed his brows in concentration. _No, Jason. Stop it._

It didn't take long for him to finish. "Do you trust me?" Jason asked teasingly when the window was pulled open, offering Leo his hand. 

"This is so cliche. I swear I remember this from _Aladdin_. Of course I trust you. I'm not quite sure about you flying me out of here, but I'm pretty sure I trust you." 

"I'll try not to let you fall to your death," he replied. Leo's hand met Jason's, sending a warm feeling to his heart. 

Leo's intoxicating auburn eyes then made their way to Jason's. Gods, that guy gave him the fuzzy wuzzys. 

"Hang on tight," Jason warned, pulling him onto the window sill. Leo's grasp squeezed tighter. Outside the window, Rome was breathtaking. The moon glowed up above, stars gleaming brightly.

He jumped. 

* * *

 Jason's hand never left Leo's- in fact, it remained even more tightly clasped with the boys. There was no way he was letting Leo drop. 

He willed himself upward and into the night sky, which took more effort then he had predicted. The cool night air whipped past the boy's faces. It felt surprisingly nice. Leo's hand tremled in the slightest. 

He stopped in midair, pulling Leo up to him. He could sense the boy was already feeling afraid of being elevated into the sky so high. Leo felt so perfect in Jason's arms; he suddenly decided to take his time flying.

Jason pulled along through the air again, a more slowly, with Leo reajusted. He could feel the smaller teen's body heating up. Was Jason blushing? Probably. 

He spotted a tower in the distance, and figured that was a good place to stop. The wind felt good in Jason's face. Well, not as good as Leo felt so close to him though.

They neared the tower, and Jason set Leo down on the roof gently. The latino's cheeks were bright pink. Jason stepped onto the roof, and sat next to him. Contrary to how ancient the tower looked from further away, the stone bricks below them held promisingly. 

The two boys were perched at the edge of the Roman tower. The city glowed below them. Their feet dangled freely into the light of Rome. To Jason, it was magical. 

"That was awesome. Slightly terrifying, but awesome," said Leo at last. He ran a hand through his hair, which was completely messed up from when they flew. 

Jason smiled. "Yeah." He gazed out at the city. "This is much better than desperatly trying to force myself to sleep." 

Leo glanced at Jason goofily. "Can't say your lying," he agreed. His eyes then looked out upon the sparkling city below them as well. "The view is wicked from up here." 

Jason nodded. The two boys sat in silence, both treasuring the moment. Everything was perfect, from the weather to the view to the company they enjoyed. 

Leo then rested his chin up on his hands. He gave Jason the uneasy feeling that the guy was going to say something stupid. Leo tended to do that; ruining perfect moments by blurting the next thing that came to his mind.

"Jason?" Leo turned his head. "Do you like guys?"

There it was.

It took Jason a moment to process what he had just asked. Jason's then flushed red, wide eyes meeting Leo's. Did he seriously just ask him that? It was extremely randomly, as well, which added to the oddness. Yet Leo's eyes were full of seriousness.

"That was so random, dude," Jason replied, unsure of what to say. It really was. "Why do you want to know that?" 

Leo shrugged casually, as if what he asked was normal. "Just wondering. And yes, Superman, that was random. I perfect the art of randomness." 

Jason didn't know how to respond. He didn't like guys, he liked girls. He finally admitted it to himself, after a moment of thinking: He liked Leo. _A lot_. 

"Um.." Jason pursed his lips. How to answer.. "No," he said finally. This surprised Leo, who raised an eyebrow. "What?" 

"Nothing," he said quickly. "It's not bad to like guys, Jason. I like guys. You can admit it to me without being embarrassed." 

"I don't like guys, like I- _what_?" 

Leo blinked. "What?" 

"How did I not know that about you?" Jason asked, gaping. He mentally slapped himself. Leo liked guys. What was he supposed to think of that? It was too sudden.

Jason felt as if the information was overloading his brain. He fidgeted with the bronze ring on his pointer finger nervously. Well.. That actually explained a lot.

Leo scratched his head. "I actually don't know. Everyone else knows." He smirked goofily. "And you're supposed to be my best friend." 

Oh gods, where was this going? Jason buried his face into his hands. That threw a wrench into his pessimism. A huge one. 

 _No_ , Jason thought.  _That threw a freaking wrecking ball into it_. 

"And again, why are you asking me this?" Jason asked. He could already feel heat rising to his cheeks. 

Leo shrugged. "A guy can get curious sometimes. Besides, I was just checking." 

" _Checking_?" 

"I thought you were gay," Leo deadpanned. Oh gods, how was he going to deal with this guy? 

"Oh my gods, Leo," Jason said. His face was burning. _Why me_? He could imagine his father watching the scene with popcorn. 

 _A son of Hephestus, eh? Well, I suppose that's fine. Kiss the guy, son! Make a fool of yourself. Hmm, this needs more butter._..

Jason turned his head to Leo, who was frowning at the city. When he saw Jason was looking, he smiled. 

"Why would you think I liked guys?" Jason asked with nervousness, but forced it out of his voice. 

Leo stared ahead. "I don't know. I just thought.." _Did his voice just crack?_  Leo shook his head, and lightheartedly patted Jason on the back. "We should head back soon, Superman." 

Jason frowned. Everything suddenly began to dawn on him. He felt like slapping himself in the face. 

Leo had a crush on him. 

Jason felt so stupid at that moment. _It was so obvious_. The way Leo had stared at him, the way he always smiled when they were together, the way Leo blushed. 

Gods, how did he not pick up on it? 

Jason then defended himself. _Well, you didn't know he was bisexual... So I guess that means you weren't just an idiot the whole time and didn't catch on._  The thought didn't make him feel any better.

Jason suddenly felt giddy with happiness. Leo liked him. He liked Leo. He had to restrain himself from jumping on the boy for a heavy make out session.

But why did he insist on dating Calypso?

As completely stupid as he felt at the moment, he stood up and stared Leo in the eyes. 

"Why are you still dating Calypso if you don't even like her?" 

The question took the boy by surprise. Leo furrowed his brows and averted his eyes. "It doesn't matter," he mumbled. 

The ice between the two was breaking, Jason knew. But in a way that made him very uncomfortable. 

"It _does_ matter, Leo. Besides, you got to ask your random, and frankly, pretty embarrassing question. Now it's my turn." Jason said the words with confidence, dispite how nervous and inferior he felt next to Leo at that moment.

Leo stood up as well, not nearly as tall as Jason. He would probably have to stand on the very tips of his toes to kiss him. _Why am I thinking about that_? 

"If you want to honest truth, Jason.. I don't know. I was desperate." The words hung in the air with tension. Desperate? "I was desperate to take my mind off of someone else." 

Jason saw Leo immediately turn his head guiltily. He hated seeing Leo like that. "And who would that be?" he asked, knowing fully well what the true answer was. 

"It doesn't matter."

"Leo, if you say that one more time..." Jason pursed his lips, and gazed at the boy fixedly. He looked so lost in his thoughts. 

Leo turned, meeting Jason's eyes. The boy's auburn orbs seemed to burn like fire in the darkness of the night. The distance between the two suddenly grew smaller.

Jason's heart raced when Leo stepped forward. He could begin to see details on his face that he never had to luxury of admiring before. Tiny freckled dotted the tips of his nose. 

"If you really want to know who," Leo breathed.

Leo's perfect lips suddenly became the center of Jason's attention. 

The boy pulled himself upward- _Hey, I was right. He does have to stand on his toes_.

As Leo leaned in, his eyes visibly shown the nervousness he was hiding. Jason wanted to bring him into a hug and tell him it was alright.

Leo then stopped. Their lips were so close- Jason realized he wasn't breathing. Jason's eyes met Leo's. He looked so guilty. 

"Its getting late. Let's head back, blondie," he peeped softly.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gods I'm evil. :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter contains me being evil, some cussing, and a little violence. Sorry I didn't update for a while. :O Enjoy!

Jason had expected it to be awkward between him and Leo last time they had.. A moment like that. He didn't particularly want to remember that. Jason had no doubt it'd be awkward now.

It really was. 

All eight of the demigods had joined into a large group again. Many of them were simply small talking before nine o clock- which would be their departure time, as Jason decided for the group. 

Maybe nine o clock was a little too late. He sat on one of those comfortable sofas from earlier, staring at the ceiling. He and Leo hadn't talked at all when they woke up. They hadn't even looked at each other.

Jason thought about clearing the air between the two, but to be honest, he couldn't conjure the guts to do so. Leo didn't even talk to Calypso, even when she sat down next to him. He stared at the wall.

He felt sweat forming on his neck. The whole scenario was a little too awkward for his liking. But hey, he should probably get used to it if he planned on having Leo as a friend.

Jason heard everyone except the three begin conversing together. Probably playing a game. It'd be fun to do that with Leo, if he'd actually look him in the eye.

Jason debated whether or not he should speak up. Leo tended to make things awkward, and if they weren't already, even more awkward. That annoyed Jason in the slightest, but he loved it anyway.

"Leo," Jason said finally. He couldn't stand the uncomfortable tension. The boy turned his head a bit as if hinting he was listening. "Uh... How did you sleep?" 

It was a start, Jason supposed. 

Leo shrugged. "I slept fine." Calypso stared at the two with curiosity. She glanced back and forth between them.

So. He scanned through his thoughts for any ideas, but pulled a blank. "Is was hot last night, wasn't it?" Jason asked, blurting the first thing that came to mind. He didn't even remember it being hot. As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt foolish.

Leo stared at him like his pants were on fire. 

Jason's eyes widened, and his hands flew up defensively. "I mean in the bedroom!" Woah, that was _not_ sounding any better. "Yeah. Wait, no! I mean-" Jason gave up, face flushed dark red. Oh gods. 

He heard Leo fail at stifling back amusement. He smiled widely, covering his mouth but shook with laughter. He soon dropped to the ground, unbearably cracking up. Jason couldn't help but smile, and began laughing along with the boy. 

"Hot," He heard Leo laugh to himself mockingly of Jason. "Bedroom!" Jason  couldn't seem to stop laughing. Calypso was staring down at them, confused. 

"Am I missing out on something?" she asked with a complete poker face. 

Jason waved his hand dismissingly. He did _not_ want to tell her what had happened last night. They soon managed to stop laughing, catching their breaths. The awkward feeling in the room had died down, thankfully.

He plopped back down onto the sofa and saw that literally everyone in the room was staring at him and Leo. 

"What?" Leo asked innocently. Jason helped the boy up and he sat next to him. 

Several of the demigods chuckled, but they soon looked away. Leo was absolutely  ridiculous in the cutest way. Jason wasn't afraid to admit that now. 

He felt tempted to spend some more alone time with Leo. He loved moments like that, him laughing along with the guy like nothing else mattered. He wondered how such an amazing person can crush on him. Jason forced his smile down.

"How about I go and get breakfast for us?" Jason asked the others. He then looked to Leo, gesturing with his head for him to follow. Leo didn't need to be told- he already was thinking the same thing. 

Nobody objected to Jason's offer. Leo said goodbye to Calypso quietly. "Don't kill yourself," she replied. "And hurry back." He nodded and followed after Jason without anybody noticing. 

When they arrived outside and into the morning sun's welcoming rays, Jason relaxed with content. It was nice having time alone with Leo, dispite what had happened.

Jason should have tried to avoid spending time with Leo after the night before. He shouldn't have wanted to talk him even more- or do other things that are fine not being stated. He then scowled himself to get his mind out of the gutters.

The boy next to him paused, and peered around. "I remember seeing- well, actually smelling- a good restaurant nearby," said Leo. "But do you have anywhere in mind, Mr. Perfect?" 

_Ah, the nicknames_. "Nope," Jason said. "You lead the way." Truthfully, that was all he wanted. He was tired of being the one everyone looked to to lead them. After being Preator for Camp Jupiter and a huge part of a very important quest like the last one, Jason was fine following someone else's footsteps.

Leo and Jason had arrived in front of what seemed to be a bakery in a short moment afterwards. "Now I know what you mean when you said you smelled this place," said Jason as he inhaled the scent of homemade bread. 

"I don't know about you, but if this place were a fisherman, I'd be a dead fish by now," he said. Whatever that was supposed to mean, Jason didn't know. The two stepped inside and ordered for the eight demigods. The shop was surprisingly empty. 

"We still have about twenty minutes left before we leave," Jason said. "Do you want to eat our breakfasts here?" 

Leo nodded gladly. The two sat down in the chairs outside. It was a nice view- bustling streets of tourists varying in ethnicity, a bright sun overhead, and a really funny and hot best friend at his side. Hot- both literally and figuratively. 

Jason nibbled at the ends of his bread. It was surprisingly good- banana and blueberry.

"We are totally going back here one day, Grace," said Leo as he stared off into the ocean. "This place is pretty dang awesome." 

Jason liked that idea- Just hanging out with Leo for a week or so in Rome, without anyone's interference. That'd probably be a good time to confess to him, too. Not like Leo would ever have a crush on him, because he was-

_Oh yeah,_ Jason thought, feeling remarkably stupid. _He isn't straight. And he has a crush on me. _He really wasn't used to knowing that yet. For so long it has been "Hmm, Leo's one fine guy. He's as straight as a ruler, and he's dating Calypso, and he'd never like me, but a guy can dream!" and now...

Jason's heart fluttered. Perhaps right now was a good time to talk to Leo about... His feelings. If he could get the guts to do it. 

_Breath in and out, in and out.. Bad heart! Stop beating so freakishly fast_! Gosh, it was amazing how Leo could make him feel this way. 

"Leo," Jason said hesitantly. He had to be blunt quickly, or he knew he'd back out of it. Leo looked to him expectantly.

Jason just stared. _Oh gods, say something_!

"Do you not like the bread? If you don't man, you'be gotta be crazy," Leo said with a goofy smirk. 

"No, it's not that. I just-" 

A shrill scream cut his sentence off, and both boys jerked their heads in the direction of the noise. 

Jason's searching eyes darted around, but everything remained the same as it was before- Well, except for several curious tourists that had heard the shriek. Tourists gave only a glance in the direction, spoke among themselves, and continued in their daily lives.

"What was that?" Jason asked hesitantly, his hand on the coin in his pocket. Truthfully, the last thing he wanted was an interruption to his vacation. In fact, anything would have been better than that at that moment.

Leo pursed his lips worriedly. "I dunno. We should probably check it out." Jason didn't argue- although he had an uncomfortable gut feeling that he wouldn't like what he saw. "I swear, if any monsters try ruining our vacation..."

The two hurried over in the direction of the sound. It was only one turn down a street until Jason and Leo froze. Jason had to abruptly stop to not bump into scrambling mortals.

Jason had to really search to find the cause of the screaming. A little girl casually strolled down the street, a silky white dress swaying thigh length. Her multicolored was pulled into braids in a cutesy kind of way. She would have passed for a normal mortal girl... If she hadn't been grinning in delight each time anybody screamed. Jason knew it wasn't her that had shrieked the first time.

Jason watched in shock as she merely waved a few fingers to bind a woman's feet together. The girl pulled at the invisible rope, and the woman was forcefully tugged in the opposite direction. Her struggle turned to a fearful panic, and the little girl smiled wickedly. The poor woman's eyes shone with confusion.

"Stop that," Jason spat. The little girl's head turned to catch Jason's eyes, but she shrugged and continued terrifying the woman. Jason furrowed his brows with anger. What was that girl's problem? "I said _stop_!" he said more demandingly. 

The girl now turned fully to the boys, losing interest with the woman. She dismissingly  dropped the rope and crossed her arms. "Foolish demigods," she remarked. "I'd like a valid reason as to why I should stop- besides using my own free will."

"That innocent woman is confused and terrified!" Leo said, irritated as he crossed his arms. " _Not_ cool." 

She narrowed her eyes as if studying him. "Ah yes, a very nice thing to see. That is just fuel on my side of the fire, though. Nice try." Her babylike eyes darted to Jason's. "And I will do as I please, son of Jupiter. Do not order me around." 

Jason scowled, hand now clasped around his coin. He had a feeling he'd have to use it pretty soon, as much as he wasn't in the mood for a fight. And he _really_ wasn't in the mood for a fight.

"Fine," Leo said slowly. "You should probably stop and just leave, like right now." It was clear that he was sure to make his words not imperative, yet demanding.

The girl raised her brow coolly. She then laughed softly, and stepped off the ground and into the air. She swayed in place, before hovering above the two. "I can ruin you. There are lines you don't want to cross, son of Hephestus." 

Jason could tell Leo was about to say something, but bit it back, thankfully. Leo simply glared at the girl in return. He stepped over to Jason and whispered in his ear. 

"This chick is giving me bad vibes, man," he said, his eyes never leaving the girl's. "What should be do?" 

Jason stared at the ground. What _should_ they do? He knew very well if they ditched her she would go off ruining the tourists' days. But if they stayed any longer... 

"Who are you?" Jason asked without answering Leo. He could sense the power and chaos the girl held inside her. It was unsettling.

She smiled wickedly. The girl then lifted her fingers and touched the pointer and thumb together. 

"Wait- don't you dare!" Jason warned. It wasn't long before the girl snapped her fingers together with a click.

Was it suddenly _freezing_? Jason felt his body molding, extremely uncomfortably. His skin seemed to melt off of him, and his insides suddenly felt mushy. He wanted to puke. 

"Um... Jason?" asked Leo, wide eyed. His mouth fell open a bit, but then glared at the girl. "Change him back, right now!" 

She cackled in reply. "Don't you think it suits him?" she asked, changing the color of Leo's shirt, annoyingly to him. "Son of Jupiter- a _cloud_!" The girl chuckled obnoxiously at her own words. She shook with laughter in the air above the two.

"Wait, wh-" Jason peered down at his body to find that he appeared wispy and... translucent? He drew a hand to his stomach and patted down, only to have it pass right through his insides. A chill ran across Jason's body. _Woah_.

"Perhaps if you've been paying any attention in your classes, young demigod, you would know." She raised a brow, but continued flicking her fingers to change Leo's shirt from green to pink to poop brown to- why did it matter? He could tell Leo was holding back irritation.

Jason ignored it and recalled all of the classes he had taken at Camp Jupiter. He ran through a list of goddesses, until he mentally narrowed down to one. 

"Atë?" Jason volunteered. He really hoped he wasn't right. If he was... He knew it'd be wise to just leave before something really bad happened.

The goddess threw her hands up. "That makes another who knows of me. The list isn't very long, mind you- it can be quite disappointing," she said with a pout.

Jason's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Of course. You're the goddess of mischief." 

"Who would have guessed," Leo remarked under his breath, giving her the death stare each time she changed his shirt.

Atë clicked her tongue. "If you have something to say, son of Hephestus, do speak up. I detest it when demigods like you mumble."

"Can you please... Er, make me normal again?" Jason tried asking politely, changing the subjct. The goddess spun to him, circling above the boy. 

"What do you mean?"

Jason peered down again to find that he wasn't transluctant as he was before. He mentally sighed in relief, but poked at his stomach to check that he couldn't stick his hand through himself.

"You two surely are not the brightest," she remarked. She peered up ahead as if thinking. "Ah! I believe I recall you, son of Jupiter. It was at the tip of my tongue this whole time. Quite annoying."

Jason raised a brow. "I've never seen _you_." Maybe he wasn't remembering something from his past? At times that happened. 

Atë chuckled. "Well, of course you haven't. But many of the gods have told the story of you, Jason Grace." Her finger pointed to him. It made Jason uncomfortable knowing the gods talked about him. "Forced into an unfamiliar camp with amnesia, helped put down-"

"I was not the only one on that quest," Jason interrupted matter-of-factly. Every one of the nine demigods that had helped deserved the same amount of respect for it. 

"He's right," Leo said. "I think you were forgetting there were nearly a _dozen_ demigods that put a stop to Gaea." 

Atë's attention drew to Leo. "Well, young son of Hephestus, then I'll be recognizing all of them. Jason here just so happens to be the only one I've had the pleasure of meeting." 

Leo pursed his lips with frustration. Jason was already angry at the goddess, and what she had said didn't help the case. 

"I was the one who built the Argo II and sacrificed my _life_ to stop Gaea!" he stammered. 

Atë waved him off. "Oh. I thought you were just the ship's repair boy. I did not hear much about you, Leo Valdez." Jason could see a flash of hurt in the guy's eyes. "My apologies," she said without empathy.

"Hey, do you even know-" 

Jason snapped his mouth shut after the goddess touched her fingers together threateningly. He knew that if she snapped them together, he wouldn't like the outcome.

"Don't you dare, little girl," Leo warned. His auburn brown eyes narrowed, and Atë frowned. Jason wanted to slap his hand to Leo's mouth, but knew it was too late. He had really screwed up.

" _You,"_ she growled. "You just don't know when to shut _up_. I'll give you a proper punishment for that." She flicked her fingers.  With a sudden pop, Leo was gone.

Jason's eyes widened, and he darted his eyes around in search of his friend. He had disappeared, just like that. 

"Wh-Where is he?" he stuttered. He could already feel the hints of adrenaline pumping through his veins. His eyes fell in all directions. No Leo. Maybe he had turned invisible?

Atë shrugged. "Fields of Punishment," she replied as if it were nothing. "He was getting _annoying_ , wouldn't you agree? I truly don't see how you can _stand_ him. Typical offspring of Hephestus."

Jason stared at her, processing what she had just said. Fields of...? He suddenly felt dizzy. "You mean... _The_ Fields of Punishment? You wouldn't.." 

She nodded casually. "Yes. Or he could have ended up in Taiwan. Sometimes that happens," she sighed. 

"Fields of Punishment.." Jason's hand shook. That was in the underworld- who ever _knew_ how to retrieve him from there. Wasn't that were evil people were sent? Leo... Evil? The words didn't go together. He could have maybe talked his way into getting him out of there, he could have even bribed her, begged her, _seduced_ her even. Jason's reaction wasn't the wisest.  

"You..." His vision reddened with rage. Did she understand how painful the Fields of Punishment were? Did she understand that she just sent a _fifth-teen year old boy_ into them for simply talking? "How could you.."

Atë furrowed her eyebrows and hovered in front of him quizzically. "It's actually quite simple, I-" 

"YOU _BASTARD_!" Jason sword was drawn at incredible speed. In the flash of a second, the sword thrust into the air with dangerous force.

Atë glanced down at the sword that dug deep into her chest, poking out at the other end of her body. Blood didn't well up from the wound, and she didn't appear to be in the slightest bit of pain. Her brows raised. "Was that supposed to-" 

"BRING HIM BACK!" The power in his voice created a scene around the two. Many mortals had gathered around, watching with curiosity. Who knew what the Mist had revealed to them.

Atë stared at him, wide eyed. All Jason felt was anger at that moment, and hatred towards the goddess. There was no way Leo was dying on him again. _No. Fucking. Way_. He knew very well that demigods sent there without actually dying first didn't have the bests chances of surviving.

"I'm afraid I can't," she said innocently. Her shoulders raised to a shrug. Jason dug the sword deeper inside her, but she didn't budge. Fury had built its way up inside Jason's brain, and his head throbbed. He forced himself to calm down _. Leo will be saved_ , he reassured himself desperately. _I'll find a way to get him back_. 

Yet he couldn't control himself. Jason thought he heard footsteps hurredly padding towards his direction, but he dismissed it. He knew it was the other six, but he wanted to deal with the goddess alone. 

The hilt of Jason's sword trembled in his grasp. "I swear on the _fucking river Styx_ , if you-" 

"Jason!" he heard Percy shout nearby. Jason didn't bother glancing towards the boy.

  _What_? What was he going to do, anyways? She was a goddess, and losing his temper couldn't help convince her to bring Leo back. 

_Leo_. He was down there in the Fields of Punishment. That was _not_ right. Jason had to do something. Every second spent wasted, he was down there scared out of his mind. He could envision Leo being dropped into the underworld, confused. His worst nightmare would taunt him mercilessly. He _needed_ to save him.

Jason heart seemed to drop to his chest. He couldn't lose Leo, right after he had died. And even that was too much pain for him to handle. 

"Jason, stop!" Piper's voice boomed with charmspeak. Jason immediately yanked the sword from the goddess, and it dropped to the pavement with a clank. He spun to see the other six demigods. 

"She sent Leo to the _freaking Fields of Punishment_ , Piper!" he hissed, glaring at the goddess right afterwords with hatred. She innocently shrugged, again. 

And after what had _happened_. Leo was at his side, and Jason let him slip away. He was _just_ about to take his friendship with Leo to the next step! He fought off the tears that threatened to well in his eyes.

"Miss," Piper said, turning to Atë. "I know Leo can be annoying at times, but you really should bring him back." Her kaleidoscope eyes stared confidently into the goddesses.

Atë spun to the girl. "Ah, a daughter of Aphrodite. I can see your charmspeak is very well developed. I admire that." Piper pursed her lips and said nothing. "But truly, this is more entertaining than fondling with the lives of modern Romans. I'll just see how this works out. I'm sure I don't need to be the one that brings your little friend back." As she said the last sentence, she eyed Jason. 

With a click of the fingers, Atë was gone.

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

Jason didn't want to leave.

He didn't want to believe Leo had dissapeared. It all felt like a bad dream- one he couldn't wake up from. But Leo was gone, and there was no way he was letting that slide. There was _no way_ he was heading back to Camp HalfBlood as if nothing ever happened. And that goddess Atë... Jason knew there was no going back after what she had done. She was going to pay.

"Jay, what else is there to do?" 

Percy was the first to break the silence after what had happened. Jason had failed to explain to the rest what even _happened_. He couldn't seem to talk after the encounter with Atë. 

Jason sat in the grass, head buried in the crook of his knees. His arms wrapped tightly around his legs, to control his anxiety. Very tightly. Percy stood above him, eyes full of sympathy.

"We'll get him back," reassured Hazel at his side. "We can talk to Nico about it..." She said the last words hesitantly. Although nobody admitted it, they all knew one thing. The only way to rescue Leo was to shadow travel. And if Nico did any _more_ of that..

Jason felt like screaming. "We are all ready," said Annabeth. She looked down at Jason with sadness. "And Jason, we will-"

"I'm fine. It's all fine," he said curtly, cutting Annabeth off. She frowned, but said nothing of it. 

The ride back to Camp HalfBlood seemed to be much quicker than before. Somehow when they arrived at the entrance, Jason didn't feel sick. He was too drowned in his thoughts. He had spent so little time with Leo after he had died- but he was so _happy_. He even discovered that his crush returned his very strong feelings. And now...

Nearly all of the six had tried comforting him and Calypso. Half knew that Jason had taken the larger blow by Leo's disappearance. It actually made him mad- how everyone was so calm about the situation but just worried. And here Jason was, stressing it and having an emotional breakdown. He had been so _close_ to confessing, too! 

Jason didn't bother talking to anyone once they had stepped out of the carriage. Many demigods stared questionably as Jason stormed to Zeus's cabin. Several gossiped among themselves- Jason knew he was the center of their conversation at that point.

He fell into his bed, huffing with exhaustion and emotion distress. His head buried into his pillows. As much as he wanted to sleep away his problems, he couldn't manage to drift off. He knew when he would awake he'd think it was a dream. Then he'd know the devastating truth.

"Jason," said a voice at the door of the cabin. 

Jason knew it was Nico. He didn't want to talk. He didn't want to deal with his problems. 

A silence followed, and the padding of footsteps came closer. "I know what happened to Leo. And the only way we can get to the Fields of Punishments is to shadow tr-"

"I know. But we can't do that," Jason snapped. He didn't mean to sound so harsh- It wasn't his intention to hurt Nico. But words flooded from his mouth mercilessly.

Nico averted his dark eyes to his feet. "But..." A pale hand fumbled with his skull ring. "I think in a day or two I could do it again. I do it from time to time without it affecting me too much. Will would be mad at me if he knew that, we just won't tell him." 

Jason's heart did a backflip. Just a day or two? "Nico. I know I want Leo back, we all do. But are you sure it would only take a day?" 

Nico didn't answer. "Just be patient until the time comes."

Jason had a bad feeling Nico was lying. He could imagine the guy returning with Leo, looking even paler and nearly transparent. He looked bad enough after his last shadow travel. Carrying two in one go all the way from the Fields of Punishment... 

"Nico. Don't lie to me," ordered Jason. He stared up into the son of Hades's eyes. "Are you sure you'd be ready to do something like that?"

Nico didn't seem to budge. The controlling dark eyes of the boy returned the gaze without hesitation. He wondered how Nico could do it- he had always seemed to sad, so hurt, yet he was forceful and intimidating. "I said I'm fine." 

Jason pursed his lips. "The last time you shadow traveled you looked sick. If you're taking Leo all the way from the underworld, what will happen to you?" 

"I thought you should be wanting me to go," Nico said bluntly. He stared down at Jason coolly.

That was true. He should be shoving Nico's butt down to the Fields of Punishment. But he couldn't help but worry... "Nico, you're my friend. I'll wait for longer if it's necessary..." Jason swallowed. He really didn't _want_ to wait- knowing Leo was in the underworld as they spoke was killing him. But he couldn't have Nico dying. "I can't lose you too."

Nico said nothing. "I should be ready in two days then." He turned towards the door. "Leo is strong. He may be scarred with he returns, but don't expect him to die. He wouldn't do that to you." 

Jason let the words sink in. He somehow knew Nico was right- Leo wouldn't die. He would fight against it all. He _was_ strong. Nico left without another word, leaving Jason in silence, with only his thoughts. His dangerous, ruthless thoughts. 

His eyes suddenly burned when he thought about Leo's dissapearance. He couldn't stop thinking about it. He couldn't force his feelings down and away, as he seemed to always do. 

For once, Jason welcomed the tears that welled in his eyes. 

 

 

 

 

 


	13. Chapter 13

"Jason, you haven't eaten all day." 

Jason didnt say anything. His face was planted into his pillow, and he had been in his bed since he had arrived. Night had passed ever since, yet he hadn't been able to sleep. Percy stood above him, arms crossed. 

"Are you hungry? I could get you something," he offered. Jason simply grumbled into his pillow. "A drink? Water?" He waved the son of Poseidon off. "Dude, stop being stubborn."

Jason lifted his head in the slightest and turned on his side to face Percy. He didn't look impressed. "It doesn't matter." 

"It _does_ matter. You're starving yourself."

"It's only been a day," he retorted. "Besides, Leo's down there and there's nothing I can do." The last words came out embarrassingly hoarse. 

Percy frowned. "The best thing you can do is stay healthy and have patience. Leo _will_ come back. The last thing he'd want you to do is worry so much- you know that." 

Jason did know that. Leo would probably be forcing food down his throat if he was here, doing his best to cheer him up. He _wouldn't_ want Jason fretting over his disappearance so much. But Leo _wasn't_ here... "Well I can't help it. I'm too worried." 

"You need to anyway," ordered Percy, which was surprising to Jason. Percy was more soft spoken when it came to his friends. 

He reluctantly supposed it was at least worth a try. He pulled himself up, with a _lot_ more effort than it normally took, and sat up in bed. A heavy headache throbbed inside his skull. "Do you think Nico will be okay?" he asked, rubbing his head.

Percy furrowed his eyebrows thoughtfully.

"You know how we are rescuing Leo, right?" 

Percy nodded. "It's not that, it's just I'm worried for the guy." He peered out at Camp HalfBlood through the open door behind him. "I know he wouldn't do anything that would kill him, but still.." 

Jason couldn't relate more to what he had said. The blonde knew he shouldn't worry about Nico, that he knew what he was doing and all, but some part of him did anyway. He was just a kid, after all. It was all unsettling. 

"We only have one more day," Percy reminded. "Seriously dude, you don't have to worry." He turned to the door. "And please, get something to eat. If you don't, I'm making you eat something. You need your energy." He left, leaving Jason alone. 

He knew it was only a day, yet it seemed like an eternity... And when he did absolutely nothing in bed all day, he couldn't help but worry about Leo. What kind of hell was he going through down there? He then remembered Nico's words. 

 _He will be scarred, but Leo won't die. He wouldn't do that to you_.

That made Jason feel slightly more reassured, but worse at the same time. Leo will be scarred..? Physical wounds, as much as Jason didn't want them on his best friend, would be the easiest to heal. But mental and emotional? He just hoped Leo would be... Okay. 

He willed himself up from his bed. He supposed he did need to eat, as much as he didn't want to. _Soon enough_ , he told himself. _Leo_ will _be back_.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter, I'll have a longer one next :)


	14. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know what you're thinking. I'm totally alright with whoever wants to virtually slap me across the face right now. I'd really be fine with that. I feel really bad right now, because a lot of you were waiting for me and I just disappeared kinda. I don't want to go into detail, but a LOT has happened since this summer, and I just couldn't continue writing. But I'm back now, and I sincerely hope you guys can forgive me. It's been months! But my writing has gotten better, so I will be going over this fanfiction and improving it as much as I can for you guys. Again, I'm really sorry and hope you guys forgive me. And thanks to everyone hat kudoed and commented while I was gone! It makes me happy to know people like this story. 
> 
> So apart from that, it's the moment you've all been waiting for! :D

A throbbing headache was the first thing to wake Jason. He grunted softly, lifting his head and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. It wasn't dark- when did he fall asleep anyway? Gnawing hunger suddenly ached deep inside of the demigod's abdomin. He sighed, shuffling comfortably inside his sheets.

 Jason face grew hot, remembering what Atë had done. Flooding memories unwelcomly tugged. Tugging, tugging, tugging, forcing him to remember. He then shook his head, pushing his grief deep inside him, out of sight. 

Jason had to squint when he stepped outside, and it wasn't even sunny. He probably would have found it to be less bright if he hadn't been sulking under his covers for so long. Several demigods glanced at him and whispered to each other as he passed. Jason ignored them and made his way to the Dining Pavilion, surprised to find that it was around time for lunch. He didn't know that he'd slept in that _long_.

"You're finally up," said a voice at his side. Jason turned to see Piper. Her hair was pulled into a braid at her side, and she  _rocked_ her Camp HalfBlood t-shirt, as most of the camp didn't. Not to be overly blunt, of course, but not everyone looked so fashionable in those.

"Yeah," he said with a raspy breath. His usual self felt like a faded remnant of the past. Heck, he doubted he had the energy to get his lunch at all. 

Piper's brows furrowed with concern. "He'll be back tomorrow, you know. You really shouldn't stress out over it, Leo's a tough guy." 

Jason nodded slightly, filling his plate with some of everything the table had to offer. _He was starving_.

"I.. I don't know what's wrong, really. I guess I'm overly-worried." He felt a bit odd talking with Piper about Leo when she knew how he felt. It just wasn't right. He reluctantly glanced at her, gauging her reaction. She nodded, understandingly. 

"Find something to take your mind off of it, then. Do you feel up for like sword fighting? Anything?" 

Jason shook his head warily. 

"I could see if Percy wants to hang out with us. Maybe some time with a friend could cheer you up." As much as the offer sounded appealing, he shook his head again. 

"Just... Trust me. You'll see him soon," she assured. The words _did_ reassure him. Jason suspected it to be charmspeak, but he couldn't help but believe it. His tensed shoulders relaxed. 

"Thanks, Pipes," he told her once his plate was filled. She smiled, and patted the male's back before starting off.

"See you later, Jason."

Once he was alone, he peered down at his food warily. _Just stop thinking about it_. It should be easy. He sat down at the empty Zeus's table, and exhaled deeply. He practically inhaled his food, until he was somewhat less discomforted.  

Jason set his fork down and unknowingly stared at a grape. He wondered how Calypso was handling Leo's dissapearance. Was she stressing so much over it? Where was she, anyway? He then remembered what Piper said on their vacation in Rome. 

 _Maybe I would make a more suitable partner_. The though of Leo and him dating sent butterflies to his stomach. It had always been one of Jason's secret fantasies. _I'm almost certain of it_.

"You think much too deeply," said a voice right in front of him. As embarrassing as it was, Jason shrieked in surprise and accidentally swung his fist forward and into his food. When he lifted his fist, grape entrails slowly molded into a miniature goddess that he recognized a little too well. " _Atë_!" 

The goddess's cool eyes stared up at Jason's. "You didn't forget me," she said, leaning back on another grape as if it were a wall. "I feel honored." 

Jason's brows furrowed in frustration. He suddenly was glad he had smashed her. "What the _hell_ are you thinking, talking to me right now?" That wasn't what he _really_ wanted to say, but he held it back and managed to keep his anger down to PG.

Atë smirked. "Ah, I was simply checking up on poor little Jason Grace. Just fought a giant war, and lost his little boyfriend right afterwards. Is that too much to ask?" She said the words both mockingly and irritatingly. 

At that point Jason was extremely tempted to smash his fist into her again, for good measures. "Don't ever call me poor. There are other people here who have felt worse," he said slowly, cold anger etched in his voice. He decided to ignore the 'boyfriend' part.

She raised her hands defensively. "Hey, it's all for good fun. 'Don't have you be so harsh." 

Jason's hand shook. _All for good fun_? He exhaled deeply before speaking. "...You terrorized and confused innocent people in Rome. You decide to annoy the hell out of me and my friend, and then send him to the _Fields of Punishment_. If you're going to call this 'all for good fun,' so gods help me-"

"Hey, hey," she cut him off. "There are many more terrifying things than the Fields of Punishment that that son of Hephestus could endure. Don't get so worked up." She then paused, giggling to herself. "Wait, I'm trying to think.. Oh yeah, I lied. That's about the worst." Atë fell against the grape, laughing to herself without restraint.  Jason's tightened fist slammed forcefully down into the goddess, again. He really had enough with that girl, but now...

When his fist raised, Atë held her hands up. " _But_!" she added before he could slam his hand down. "It probably won't be as bad as is told, not for Leo Valdez." Jason raised a brow at that.

 

"What do you mean?"

Atë chuckled, lifting herself into the air to laze afloat. "Leo Valdez technically isn't supposed to be there. He hasn't been judged, yet. He is a good soul. They'll probably be confused."

Jason frowned. "That is true.. But how would you expect him to return?" 

Atë smirked, impish mischief creeping across her child-like features. "You'll be lucky if he doesn't show up dead." In a single pop, the goddess was gone. 

Jason sat in silence. 

Halfway expecting her to reappear with an aggravating comment, he tensed. She never returned. Jason left his pulverized food, stepping away from Zeus's table. Anger from a moment ago almost dissapeared completely. He pursed his lips. As he made his way to his cabin, demigods stared at him curiously. 

He fell into his bed, which seemed a lot more inviting than usual after what had happened. He couldn't even imagine why Atë had decided to visit him, besides infuriating him even further then he had been. And he had been _pretty_ mad.

Jason's eyes closed warily. When he saw Leo again, there was no stopping him from giving that guy the _sexiest kiss of his life_. Gods, he missed him. He just hoped he'd be okay.. Even after all of the reassurance from himself and his friend's, he still worried. Jason felt pathetic. 

 _Tommorrow_ , Atë's voice seemed to ring inside of him,  _You'll see him. But those who come out from the Fields of Punishment aren't untouched, Jason Grace_. 

 _You'll be lucky if he doesn't show up dead_. 

* * *

 

Jason didn't sleep that night. 

He was thankful to see the sun slowly peek past the horizon. He wanted to skip through time to the 'let's see Leo again!' part. He was usually a patient guy, but now every second felt like forever. 

The previous night was an aching mixture of pacing the room and lying in bed. Whatever he had been doing, nevertheless, the image of honey brown eyes and dark curly locks burned inside his mind. Burning.

After a while of lying in bed, Jason heard a knock on the cabin's door. It somehow reminded him of the times Leo would sneak in, giving Jason a fuzzy feeling. His mind averted to the awkward moment when he had Leo pinned beneath him on the bed. His face grew hot ay the memory. "Who is it?" he asked. 

"'Seaweed Brain,'" said Percy from behind the door. "Leo will be back soon! Nico's ready."

In an instant Jason was at the door, eagerly peering past Percy to see Nico, Annabeth, Frank and Hazel, and Piper all gathered in a group. "Thanks for stopping by," he said distantly, squeezing past Percy. 

"Woah, you should at least fix your hair. No offense Jason, but you look like a wreck."

He glanced at the mirror nearby to see that Percy wasn't exaggerating. Jason's sandy blonde hair stuck straight up, and light grey bags hung under his eyes. How handsome. He brushed a hand through his hair and straightened his shirt. 

"Slightly better. I'll let you pass," he said, lifting his arm as if he were a gate. Jason and Percy were quickly joined with the others. He saw Hazel kiss Nico on the cheek, and whisper something in his ear that he rolled his eyes to. "I'll be fine," he replied.

"Nico," Jason eyed the son of Hades and caught up to him. "Before you leave, I just wanted to say-"

"I know. Really, it's no problem."

"But-"

"Jason," said Nico, looking up at the at the teen. His eyes were dark and piercing. He hesitated. "That's... That's what friends are for."

Nico di Angelo glanced at his friends. "It might take a little bit, so wait patiently. I'll arrive at this exact spot. Be ready to take from me Leo when I return." He smiled to his sister slightly, before giving a small wave goodbye and sinking into darkness.  He couldn't help but stare off at the air where the son of Hades once stood. 

"Wow..." said Percy, leaning an arm on Jason's shoulder. "Nico di Angelo admitting you were his friend? You really should feel special." Jason chuckled. It wasn't everyday that that kind of stuff happened. Nico would probably deny that it had ever occured if Jason brought it up, unfortunately. 

"I hope he'll be okay," said Hazel in her voice. "Well, both Leo and Nico." Jason turned to see that Frank with his arms wrapped around her. She stared down at the grass nervously. 

"Neek's going to be fine," assured Percy. "This kind of stuff is his forté." 

"Last time he shadow traveled, though..." Nobody said a word. How far would the son of Hades really go to save a friend? Past the shield of hidden emotion that Nico always seemed to hold, Jason knew there were so many good qualities to the guy. He deserved more credit than everybody had seemed to give him.

Jason sighed, looked around to see Calypso sitting in the shade of a tree nearby. Her head was tilted back and up into the light of the sun. "I'll be right back," he said to the others. His steps get heavy and slow, but he soon enough made his way to the goddess's side. Jason really didn't know why he did it- he didn't like her in the slightest. But he felt he could connect to her at that moment, because they had one thing in common- Leo. 

"Hey," Jason said a bit sheepishly. He slid down the tree, landing right next to Calypso. He began fumbling with a blade of grass at his side, not knowing exactly what to say. 

Calypso turned a bit to acknowledge him. "Hi, Jason." 

Jason stared at the ground. Oh gods, why was he even next to her? He couldn't help but feel drawn to the girl though... It was like she was the only one that knew what he was feeling. "I can't wait till Leo comes back," he said, unintentionally mumbling. 

Calypso raised a brow. "What did you say?" 

"Nothing," Jason said. "Well, I mean, are you excited?" He paused with the growing urge to facepalm. "About Leo coming back?"

She sighed. "Yes, I am. I've been worried about him for the longest time..." She glanced to Jason, meeting his eyes. "I've decided to break up with him, though. You can have him to yourself." 

Jason's mouth fell slightly agape.  _What_ , now? "How did you know about.. Uh, all of that?" he asked. He felt immediately guilty. 

"It was obvious. Besides," she said, staring out into nothing. She looked so empty, yet she wasn't sad. Jason had the nagging suspicion that Calypso was used to it- used to guys leaving her, dismissing her like a school child. Jason suddenly didn't dislike her as much. "He's happier with you. We always fought, and to be honest, we seldom agreed on anything.

Jason frowned. "I guess that is true." The two sat in a short moment of silence. "...What are you goingth to do? After all of this, I mean?" 

Calypso shrugged. "There are a lot of places I wanted to visit. After a while, I'll probably want to settle down with somebody." Jason could see why. She probably has never been in an actual relationship before. He almost felt sorry for her. 

"Have anywhere in mind?" he asked, genuinely interested. 

Calypso sighed, looking up to the sky. "I was thinking about Texas. Leo told me about that place, and it seems nice. California, too. I want somewhere with a lot of people, but also with a nice starry sky." 

"Oh! California is awesome, actually. I've never been to Texas, but I can say that you'll like it in California. Its where Camp Jupiter is- basically where I grew up. What else did Leo tell you about when you left the island?" Jason hoped Leo left out all the... weird things about this generation.

She laughed gently. "It sounds like I should make that a priority, then. He told me about his home, about Camp HalfBlood, his friends.. He even made me watch a few Disney movies. They were surprisingly good." Jason laughed at that. 

"I just hope-"

"Leo!" 

Jason froze. Was Nico back already? The name hung in the previously tense atmosphere. He jumped up and spun around, eyes frantically searching for his friends. 

Blue eyes met two boys emerging from a puddle of dark black. Nico di Angelo strained to carry the limp body he held in his arms. Caramel skin, dark locks, chest rising and falling quickly enough to cause concern. 

Leo was back. He was here, alive, and Jason's chest threatened to burst with relief and ecstasy. He managed to refrain from rushing for the biggest hug of the latino's life. 

Leo's eyes were fluttered shut, shrouding the once warm brown orbs of his eyes. He somehow knew that if he had opened them, they'd be empty.. and clouded with pain. It all wasn't right- Leo shouldn't be on the ground, like that, so lifeless. Jason's eyes travelled down the boy's body, and his heart clenched. 

Deep purple bruises- everywhere. Scattered across Leo's limp body, painting a mosiac of color. Deep red welts, spread across these bruised arms and legs. A bloodied gash rested on the demigod's face, along with the blood trailed into curly brown locks. It matted hair, stained his face, and trickled down his body. 

Nico groaned a bit before setting Leo down, and burying himself into the tall grass beneath him, visibly exhausted.

Despite Nico's condition, Jason's vision seemed to tunnel around Leo. At that point, the dam inside of Jason collapsed. He raced over to his friend, settling by his side. The son of Hephaestus looked _miserable_. "Leo!"

He carefully pulled Leo into his arms- his body was so lifeless. Jason's body shook slightly, with the fear and anxiety of not knowing what had happened to his friend. He unknowingly wrapped his arms around the boy, tugging him closer. He was dangerously cold.

"Don't you dare do that to me again, do you hear me?" The words came out muffled by his head buried into the crook of Leo's neck. "I'm not letting anything happen to you. Not this time. Not ever." Heat found its way to Jason's sky blue eyes. So many emotions- relief, joy, worry, infatuation; maybe even the hints of genuine love. 

Leo groaned softly. "You're crying." The words came out barely inaudible and croaky. Jason's fingers touched at his eyes to find that Leo was right. As embarrassinfly as it was, he welcomed the tears. He then gazed down to meet honey brown orbs. 

"Gods _dammit_ , Leo, you had so horribly worried!" Jason choked out, leaning down to press his forehead to the boy's. The other demigods gathered around, seeking confirmation as to Leo's well-being, which he only brushed away with exhaustion. 

Leo hummed a bit, softly, barely audible."I tend to do that sometimes.." He clearly didn't have objections to the lack of space between the two. Jason's breath was hot on Leo's face, and oddly comforting. 

"But.. You're alive," Jason spoke softly, overwhelmingly relieved. _Alive. Alive and safe_. The blonde above Leo pulled away slightly. 

Jason grunted in confusion when Leo's callused fingers made their way to blonde hair, pulling the teen down with surprising force. "Leo, what ar-agh!" 

The unfinished sentence hung in the air, silenced by a pair of cold lips. Jason's breath hitched, and time seemed to stop. 

 _What is going on..? Leo is.. Leo is kissing me!_ Jason's eyes widened, fingers crawing their way to the side of Leo's face. His eyelids slid closed, welcoming darkness in his vision so he could indulge in the moment. He _melted_ into the kiss, lips parted, heat seeping the cool skin of the boy underneath him. His lipped were rough and cracked, yet so unbelievably soft. Soft and amazing, amazing, amazing. Leo was the first to pull away.

He sighed warmly. "Mmm.. That's better." Leo closed his eyes and a small smile made way to chapped lips. Jason gaped a bit, still slightly baffled by the sign of affection. He watched as Leo's rough breathing melted into a steady melody. He slept silently and peacefully in Jason's arms. 

Jason gazed at the teen, awe-stricken. He then lifted a finger to his lips. That didn't just happen, did it? He couldn't force back the flustered grin that followed. He carefully lifted Leo up and further into his arms, and stood up. 

His eyes met Hazel's first. She sat at Nico's side, running a hand through the boy's course black hair. Jason was unbelievably grateful. He would definitely thank the demigod when he awoke.. For everything. Hazel smiled, knowingly winking. Jason rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but smile. His blue eyes then circled to the rest of his friends. _Everyone_ had seen that apparently.

Frank merely gaped at the two, cheeks red. Percy and Annabeth snickered among themselves, and Piper flashed a beaming grin. Calypso watched the two, visibly relieved. She may have not been the perfect one for Leo, but she cared for him. Nothing would change that.

"I need to get Leo to the informatory- do you guys think Nico will hold up?" He glanced at the paled skinned demigod.

Hazel nodded. "Of course. His skin is a bit transparent, but he'll be fine. He's pretty tough." She smiled warmly, gazing at her half-brother. "Frank, do you want to help me carry Nico back to his cabin?" 

The muscular teen nodded, every so often sheepishly stealing flustered glances at Jason. The blonde simply chuckled a bit, waving at his friends. "Stop by later to see this dweeb, okay?" 

Percy rolled his eyes, lacing his fingers with Annabeth's. "You don't need to remind us to visit our half-dead friend that came from the fields of punishment in the informatory, ya know, Jay!" The couple began to walk off. "Sword fighting, now?" Percy asked excitedly. 

"Sure, that sounds alright. Are you sure we shouldn't tag along?" She raised a quizzical eyebrow.

Percy smiled. "I don't know. It just looked like Jason wanted some alone time with him." 


End file.
